


I Want You

by systemofour



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: College, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2019-10-23 09:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17680535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/systemofour/pseuds/systemofour
Summary: She sighed again. “I don’t know. He appeared last night in my dream.”“Seriously? Did you dream about him? Oh my goodness, that’s why you’re like this?” Soon-young was dumbfounded.“Yeah, what should I do?” she asked him, but more to herself. “I-I didn’t even think about him during the day, yet he appeared in my dreams. Isn’t it strange?”Soon-young sighed heavily. “I’ve told you this before, you had a problem you haven’t solved.”She blinked. “What is it?”“Confessing to Mingyu.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Main Character's POV

"Open your eyes, dear. Don't you want to see your favorite thing in the world?"

It was so hard to open her eyes when she was really sleepy like this, but it was even harder to not open her eyes to see her favorite thing in the world. No, not her favorite thing in the world.

Her favorite guy in the world.

Kim Mingyu was all smiling to find her slowly opened her eyes. Yes, right, it was really nice to have him to be the first person to greet her in the morning. His smile was like the sunshine, it was even brighter. Mingyu's smile grew wider as he saw her smiling.

"I know you can't resist to see me," Mingyu said proudly. He chuckled afterward. "Come on, wake up. We have to cook breakfast and go to work. Come on~" he pulled her hands with his hands. She thought he would make her go out the bed, but instead, he made her hands wrapped around his body. He hugged her very tightly after that.

"Kim Mingyu, w-what are you doing?"

"Recharging my battery? I think sleeping is not enough to do that."

She never expected she blushed on this early in the morning. "D-don't be silly. I know you never run out of battery if you like that term." She hit his back slowly.

He giggled, his laugh sounded like birds chirping in the morning. "I myself know what I should do to charge my battery, and this is the only way." He tightened his hug. She felt her cheeks redden even more.

"A-are you sure?"

"Oh, I know the other way!"

"What is that?"

He pulled away, looking at her, smiling before he gave her a kiss on the lips.

She opened her eyes.

She couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

_Darn it, Kim Mingyu._

Why do you have to appear in my dream again?

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

In other next days, she got herself thinking about Kim Mingyu way too much. It was because how he always appeared in her dreams. The more she thought about it, the more him appearing in her dreams. Sometimes she couldn’t focus on work, and always wondered why he had to come to her dreams. They have never met 2 years ago, and at that time, they didn’t talk very much. Yeah, she admitted it she wanted to talk much to Mingyu, but she couldn’t help it. They were never close.

You must be thinking she dreamt about him because they were a couple back then, or they had a special relationship, but no. She admitted she liked him a lot, she liked him very much, but she had no chance to get closer to him, even for small talk. Mingyu was always a popular guy, he was always popular in school. Even when they had a reunion, Mingyu was always the main character. It was so different from her. She was just nobody. She had some close friends in her own class and she knew some kids from other class, but it was just like that. Her life wasn’t like Mingyu’s. Everyone knew it was him if somebody mentioned his name.

“Ah, that Kim Mingyu?”

Everybody at school just knew him as that handsome tall kid who was in the soccer team.

Meanwhile, nobody really remembered about her and what class she was in. Well, she knew she was just an ordinary girl at school, but that was also the reason why she couldn’t get herself brave to talk to Mingyu, get closer to Mingyu. No, she couldn’t do that, even when they graduated from school.

She thought not seeing Mingyu for two years had made her feel good, she already buried her feelings for him deep inside her heart. She never thought she would think about him again. Thinking about him would never make her calm. Looking at how he appeared in her dreams, it somehow showed that she missed him. She hated that term, but that was the only thing that could describe the reason for Mingyu appearance last night.

She sighed very hard and messed up her hair in frustration. She never felt this confused. She hoped today would be a good day even—

A loud thud.

She bumped into someone. Darn it, the person was bringing coffee. The coffee was now all over the person’s sweater.

Oh dear.

“OH MY GOD. IM SO SORRY!” she squalled, panicked, and tried to clean the person’s sweater with her hands. She opened her bag in panic and found some tissues and she tried to clean the sweater. Stupid, stupid, she cursed herself. She knew she was too deep thinking about Mingyu but that didn’t mean she had to not focus like this. The sweater was not even clean, it was dirtier than ever since she just made the strain roaming to another area. She gulped. She was sure she was in big trouble.

She slowly looked up and looked at the person standing in front of her. It was a guy with a cold look and expressionless face. He looked unhappy with the fact he lost his coffee and got his sweater dirty. She gulped. This guy was like he was ready to kill her at any time.


	3. Chapter 3

_From: 권순영_  
Yah, where are you?   
You said you want to meet me, and now I’ve been waiting for almost an hour and you didn’t come yet.

 

She was surprised to get a text from her friend whom she should meet today. She knew she was very late, but she had no choice. She replied to the text with no energy.

 

 _To: 권순영_  
I’m sorry I’m late, very sorry.   
I’m at a coin laundry.  
I will come after the clothes dry.

 

He would hate this, though, she muttered.

 

 _From: 권순영_  
Why on the earth do you wash your clothes in coin laundry?  
You always wash your clothes at home. Why go to a coin laundry?  
…..  
_You troubled someone, didn’t you?_

 

Bingo! Kwon Soon-young just knew her so well. No wonder they were friends since high school.

 

 _To: 권순영  
Genius. No wonder you’re my best friend_.

 

She sent the reply, and Soon-young sent a text again.

 

 _From: 권순영_  
Excuse me, I’ve known you for years, of course, I can guess it correctly.  
Come here fast, you have to tell me everything.  
And you have to pay for the meals, too.

 

She didn’t like the idea that she had to pay Soon-young’s meals, but she had no choice. She had made him wait so long. She sighed, wondering if she didn’t act carelessly then she would be with Soon-young right now. she was about to reply Soon-young’s text as a silhouette came to her and she looked up to see the guy she bumped earlier took a seat in front of her. She quickly closed the k-talk menu and flipped her phone. The guy looked annoyed, well, he had right to do that anyways.

  
She tried to start a conversation. “It takes 20 more minutes.” She said, referring to his sweater. The guy just stared at her expressionless. She gulped. “I’m sorry, sunbae.” she bowed.

“It will be ready in 20 minutes? Are you sure?” the cold voice surrounded the silent room. It was just her and him in this coin laundry though.

She nodded. “I’m sorry, sunbaenim.”

“I heard you say it many times.” Jeon Wonwoo sounded not even pleased. She was surprised to hear his words.

“I really mean it, sunbae, I’m sorry.” It was not good to bump into your cold senior in the photography club. Yeah, they two were never close and barely talked to each other, but this accident just made her had to talk to him, apologizing. Sometimes she was glad it was just her sunbae, but in the other time, she was screwed to the point that she would still see him in campus and felt bad about what had happened today. _And this Jeon Wonwoo seems like he won’t let go of this easily._

She looked at him intently. He was wearing a white t-shirt, the t-shirt he wore underneath his sweater. She never saw him this close, but he was surely skinny. Jeon Wonwoo noticed her stare and he glared at her.

  
“What are you looking at?” he snorted.

“I’m sorry!” she bowed. She surely needed not to make silly act again, she needed to get out of this awkward situation. Well, she was never alone like this with Jeon Wonwoo. She didn’t know what she should talk to him, since, hey, they never talked to each other before. She didn’t have to start a conversation again and again, right? _He seems like he hates me, though_ , she thought to herself. 

“What were you thinking when you bumped into me?”

Did she hear words, from her sunbae? What? She didn’t hear it clearly. “I’m sorry?”

Jeon Wonwoo looked at her with an annoyed look written all over his face. “What were you thinking when you bumped into me earlier?”

“A-ah.” She got his question. But of course, she couldn’t tell him the reason. She didn’t need to tell him though. “I was thinking about meeting a friend.” Yeah, she lied. But she was really on her way to meet Soon-young. It was not completely a lie, then. But well, all she was thinking about was Mingyu. Well, she lied. How could she tell the truth to her senior? They were not close enough to talk about her love life.

“How careless.”

“What?”

She started to dislike the way he stared at her. She could see that he disliked her as well. She hoped they would never meet again. But could that happen? He was in the photography club, and he was never absent. She noticed it since not all the members came to their weekly gathering, it was just like five or ten members. Should she avoid the meetings so she won’t meet him again?

 _Aish, it will be very childish_ , she talked to herself.

“I’m kind of spaced out earlier.” That was all she could say to him.

  
“I could see that.” He said. “You seem to like to stare into space, staring at people, so you don’t look where you’re walking.”

What? She widened her eyes. “I don’t like staring into space.” She protested.

“Oh, yeah? Some members told me they saw you walking and bumping into people on campus, usually on exam days.” he looked at her straight in the eyes.

“You bought what they said to you?” she furrowed eyebrows. Unbelievable. How could he know about her from the other members? Did they talk about her? But, hey, she didn’t even remember who they were. More information, she was one of the new members in the club and she hasn’t made any friends.

“I won’t believe it if I didn’t experience it myself today.”

 _Darn it_ , she hissed. _This guy is really annoying._

He stared at her coldly. “Yah, you have to buy me coffee.”

She grunted. “I know, I know.”

The sweater was already dry and Jeon Wonwoo quickly wore it. She didn’t need to notice this, but the sweater smelled so fresh. They headed out the coin laundry and went to a coffee shop without exchanging any words to each other. Jeon Wonwoo was seating on a chair not far from the counter, waiting for his coffee. She glanced at him and muttered. She just needed to buy him coffee and then she went to meet Soon-young. She sighed. Today was really her bad day.

“What? You just ordered one cup?” Jeon Wonwoo looked surprised as she gave him the coffee cup.

She blinked many times. “Did you bring two cups earlier, sunbaenim?” she didn’t even remember that little fact.

He raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you see that? I supposed to meet my crush today.”

“A-ah, I get it.” She rolled her eyes. _I don’t care who you will meet, dear senior._ “Wait.” She came back to the counter to order another cup.

She came back to him in five minutes with a happy look on her face. She was glad this was over and she could go meeting Soon-young and telling him about Mingyu. She had so much to stress about not to mention today’s bumped into Jeon Wonwoo accident. Jeon Wonwoo stared at her for some five seconds before he rose from his seat.

“You’ve worked hard today.” That was what he said to her. She knew he was mocking her but she just sighed and nodded.

“I’m really sorry for today, sunbaenim.” She said it again.

He didn’t react to this, not giving any smile, instead, he walked to the door and pulled the door open. She was dumbfounded. He left one of his coffee! She followed him outside quickly.

“Sunbaenim, your coffee!” she called him.

He looked back and said. “I couldn’t make it to the date. You can have it.”

What?

Before she could say anything, he walked away leaving her.

Weird.


	4. Chapter 4

Her part-time job in the library was over. She collected her stuff and headed out of the library. She wanted to have lunch, but she had no appetite and she would have a gathering of the photography club in an hour. She didn’t really want to come, she could leave and just go home, but no. She didn’t understand it, but at her room, she would start thinking about her dreams, about Mingyu. It was like drowning herself into him. And it was really frustrating. You knew that feeling that you wanted someone so badly but you knew you would never have him? Maybe she could consider herself like that. She tried to forget about Mingyu, and the memories he left for her during high school, which most of the memories were hers, and he happened to be everywhere in school, no interaction between them at all. She hated the fact that these memories took most of the parts of her brain, but she couldn’t deny that maybe she still had that thing for Mingyu.

  
She liked him, still, until today.

That was really frustrating.

And it was really frustrating to remember what Soon-young said to her three days ago.

 

_“Tell me about it. Hey, you asked me to meet you because you want to talk about your dreams, didn’t you?” Soon-young was eating french-fries happily. It was the second order of french-fries after two sandwiches and two glasses of coke. “What they were about?”_

  
_She sighed. “It was… it was about Mingyu.”_  


_“Mingyu..? Kim Mingyu?” he looked confused. He stopped eating his fries._  


_She raised an eyebrow. “Do we know another Mingyu?”_  


_“Nope, but why is him again? I thought you have got over him.” He shook his head in disbelief._  


_She sighed again. “I don’t know. He appeared last night in my dream.”_  


_“Seriously? Did you dream about him? Oh my goodness, that’s why you’re like this?” Soon-young was dumbfounded._  


_“Yeah, what should I do?” she asked him, but more to herself. “I-I didn’t even think about him during the day, yet he appeared in my dreams. Isn’t it strange?”_  


_Soon-young sighed heavily. “I’ve told you this before, you had a problem you haven’t solved.”_  


_She blinked. “What is it?”_  


_“Confessing to Mingyu.”_  


_“WHAT? Are you crazy? Why should I suddenly confess to him?” she became nervous and groggily drank the coffee she brought earlier._  


_Soon-young groaned. “You liked him, that’s why. You haven’t said anything to him during high school, but I know you still have that thing for him. Go tell him, it will set you free from the burden.”_  


_“Soon-young, are you serious? I-I should t-tell him?”_  


_“I can make you two meet in a café or restaurant. I will tell Mingyu.” Soon-young grabbed another fries and ate happily like a hamster._  


_That was a good idea, but, “WAIT, what you will tell him?” Soon-young was still in contact with all the schoolmates, including Mingyu. Boys were easy to make friends anyways._  


_“I’ll say that ‘one of our high school friends want to meet you’, that’s it. Do you want me to make it specific? Should I tell your name?” he teased._  


_“DON’T TELL HIM MY NAME.” she almost screamed._  


_“Alright.” He was a bit startled but giggled. “So this means you will follow my plan?” Soon-young smiled widely._  


_She looked at him in hesitation. “But, if he asks why I want to meet him, what will you say?”_  


_It didn’t take minutes for Soon-young to answer. “I will tell him you happened to see him somewhere in town but you haven’t said hello to him. You like it?”_  
Soon-young sure had many ideas.  


_“It sounds like I’m his junior. But he won’t remember me, anyway.” She said but nodded anyway. Soon-young’s smile grew wider. “Make it not obvious, okay?”_  


_“Roger that,” Soon-young replied. “Yah, you have to say everything to him on that day, okay? Mingyu used to have girls confessed to him, he must not think about it deeply and you can be your usual self around him.”_  


_Used to have girls confessed to him, what a popular guy. Yeah, one more confession won’t be bad. “It’s not that I always cling around him during our reunion.” She snorted._  


_“I said this just in case you suddenly don’t want to see him,” Soon-young said. “We can’t change the plan, get it? You have to confess and then your problem will be solved. You won’t dream about him again.” He took his phone on the table. “I’m going to send him a text now.”_  


_She nodded even though she was not really sure she would face Mingyu or not. “You seem really sure about this, Soon-young, about me having an unsolved problem with Mingyu.”_  


_“Yeah, a friend told me that, if someone appears many times in your dream, you have some unfinished problem with him, which means you have to solve it whatever it is.” Soon-young was still busy typing his text for Mingyu._  


_She sighed. Maybe Soon-young was right. She had to talk to Mingyu, then her problem would be solved. Was she brave enough to face him? She was not sure. The thing she was sure that she would lose her words if Mingyu looked at her. Oh, really, Kim Mingyu just had the sweetest smiles ever. That was one of the reasons why she liked him._  


_Soon-young put his phone on the table after some minutes being busy with it. He looked up at her._  


_“I’ve asked Mingyu about it, and he agreed. He will meet you on Saturday at 4 pm.”_  


_She gulped._  


_Yeah, it was the time for her to face her first love and confess._

 

She was still thinking about what she should say to Mingyu after they met again. Should she ask about his study? Oh no, not asking about school. Oh, she should ask about how he was going, what activity he did recently. And after that, could she tell him about her feelings? Eyy, wasn’t that too straight forward? Oh, she should ask him about high school friends too. Eyy, would he remember her? What if he didn’t? What should she say?  


“Yah, you, sitting on the back!”  


She was a bit shocked to see heads that turned to her and pairs of eyes looked at her in curiosity. She blinked many times, not understand what the purpose of the stares. To be honest, she didn’t hear what the members have been discussing, she was too busy in her own thoughts. O-oh, this was not a good sign.  


“Yah, I’m asking you, do you already have a partner for our new project?” the leader of the photography club, Choi Seung-Cheol, said.  


She blinked, new project? Oh dear, she didn’t even know about the project, and now she had to have a partner? This was really frustrating. Seung-Cheol seemed to know her problem and finally, he explained again about the project.  


“Alright, I’ll tell you guys again about the project.” Seung-Cheol eyed her, but then his eyes swept over the other members. “So, the project is that next month we will have our exhibition, yes, our own exhibition. The exhibition is held to celebrate our club anniversary. For the theme, it’s about things we don’t really realize happen around us.”  


She knitted her eyebrows together. _What are things we don’t really realize happen around us?_ She sighed. _Who picked the theme anyways?_

  
Seung-Cheol talked again, ”Since we don’t have so much time left and we don’t have many active members, I see it’s just nine of us,” he said after silently counting,” then I decided to make us work in pairs.” He looked at her once again. “Have you decided your partner yet?”

 

She shook her head. “Not yet, sunbae.” She answered. How could she have found one if she just knew she had to find one just now?  


Seung-Cheol smiled slightly. “Okay, you can partner up with Wonwoo, since everybody here already has their partners.”  


She widened her eyes. _Wonwoo? Jeon Wonwoo?_

  
_HIM!?_  


She looked around trying to find Jeon Wonwoo, but he was nowhere to be seen. _Where is he?_

  
“Oh, he’s not here yet. He’s coming late.” Seung-Cheol said, answering her question in mind. It was a little embarrassing, how Seung-Cheol understood her action.  


She sighed, how could this happen, she partnered up with Jeon Wonwoo. The world seemed very small. She could imagine Jeon Wonwoo giving her cold stares. Oh, it was not nice.  


“Alright, guys, we’ll meet again next week. You guys should bring some of your photos.” Seung-Cheol said again, clapping his hands together.  


Today she sighed many times and she sighed again after listening to what her club leader said. That meant she should go with Wonwoo taking some pictures to fit the theme.

 _And where is he, anyway?_ She thought she was okay if she didn’t partner up with anyone, since she used to work alone, and the club barely asked members to work in pairs. But why suddenly the leader asked members to work with a partner?  


Everybody already left the room except for her and their leader. She walked up to him.  


“Sunbaenim,” she called him out. Seung-Cheol who was busy with his camera looked up at her. He smiled.  


“Do you have any questions?” he asked. “You seem confused.”  


She didn’t know what to say. “A-ah, I just want to ask, do we really have to work with a partner?”  


He raised an eyebrow. “Why? You don’t like the idea?” he teased.  


“A-ah, I didn’t mean that. I mean, we don’t get used to working in pairs. We used to work together going to the same place together, and take pictures in the same place. But now we have to do it with a partner?” she looked at him, he looked a bit startled. Oh, maybe she talked too much.  


Seung-Cheol smiled slightly. “Oh that, I just want to make the members go freely with their own desired photo spot. I want members to enrich their creativity, and not to be decided by me. So, I just decided on the theme.” He explained. “It’s also a good chance to make our members closer. You know, I always think our members are not close enough, even though it’s just ten of us.”  


He was right, they were not close enough even though it was just ten of them. She didn’t know the other members so well. She just knew they came from various departments, but she always thought she was the one who didn’t get close to anyone. Anyways, the club had been in a hiatus for almost one year, then Seung-Cheol became the leader and gathered everyone up. That might be the reason why everybody wasn’t close enough to one another. And most of the current members were new, including her. She was sure the old members were just Seung-Cheol, Jeon Wonwoo and a guy with the name Yoon Jeonghan or something.  


She was about to say something, Seung-Cheol already said,”Why? You want to change partner?”  


She blinked,”is that possible?”  


Seung-Cheol laughed. “Of course not.” He said. She frowned. “I’ve told you everybody's got a partner. You were the only one who didn’t. You were all blank in the back all the time when I was talking, and everyone already partnered up. You were late to choose a partner.”  


She sighed, regretting the silly thing she had done. “You’re right.” She said in a regretful tone.  


“That’s why I told you to partner up with Wonwoo. He’s coming late so he hadn’t had a partner yet.” He added. Yeah, Jeon Wonwoo was the one left without a partner since he came late. It made sense. Oh, dear.  


“Sunbae, is it possible to make me work alone? I mean, not having a partner?” she asked him. Seung-Cheol laughed at this question. She furrowed eyebrows. _Hey, why is he laughing?_  


“I told you I wanted members to work in pairs. So, what’s the point if you work alone?” he said, still giggling. She frowned. _So, it’s impossible, huh?_ Seung-Cheol said again,”You don’t want to partner up with Wonwoo, huh?”  


She blinked. Seung-Cheol was scary sometimes, how could he know that? Seung-Cheol was still giggling.   


“Why is that?”  


She sighed. “I-I did a mistake to him. He h-hates me because of that. I-I think, I think I can’t work with him.” She didn’t understand why Seung-Cheol was still laughing.

  
“I don’t know whether he hates you because of your mistake or not, and I don’t know what your mistake is, but you should try to work with him. That’s the point of this project, you know.” He patted her shoulder. “Cheer up.”  


Alright, she had no choice.


	5. Chapter 5

“It’s in two days. Okay, should we do a rehearsal of confessing? I mean you should practice confessing.” Soon-young was eating his vanilla ice-cream. They were spending their dinner time in a convenience store near her neighborhood. Soon-young just came over after his class was over. His home was a bit far, but he decided to meet her since he was nearby. He coughed and patted his chest with his free hand. “Just imagine that I’m Mingyu, what will you say to me?” he laughed.

  
She rolled her eyes as she opened her cup of ramen. “How can I imagine you as Mingyu, Kwon Soon-young? You look nothing like him.” Soon-young frowned instantly. She chuckled. “I’m kidding, man.”  
  


“Aish, don’t talk about looks!” he hissed, looked slightly annoyed. “I know he’s way better than me, he’s tall, handsome, that’s why girls are after him, right?” he teased. She wasn’t surprised to have him asking that kind of question.  
  


“I don’t like him because he’s tall and handsome.” She answered, getting ready with her chopsticks.  
  


Soon-young raised an eyebrow. “Then what?”  
  


“I just like him, he seems like a warm person,” she replied. Soon-young made a gesture like he was going to vomit. She laughed. “Don’t worry, Kwon Soon-young, you’re handsome, too. I’m sure once girls realize this, they will go after you, too.”  
  


“You’re saying girls don’t realize that I’m handsome now?” He replied sarcastically. She shrugged and started to eat her ramen. “Thank you.”  
  


“You’re welcome.” She replied with a mouth full of ramen.  
  


“Just imagine it, okay? Imagine me as Mingyu.” Soon-young said again, knowing she just stared at him, he said, “Alright, if you hate that idea, lemme know what will you say to him?”  
  


“Uh, uh, I don’t know.” She replied honestly.  
  


He frowned. “Seriously? I thought you’ve thought about the confession words.”  
  


“Nope.” She said. “But, yeah, he did appear again in my dreams.”   
  


Yeah, last night Mingyu came again and it was weirder than before. He smiled widely at her, intertwining his hand with hers. He said something like a holiday or honeymoon, she couldn’t catch it, but Mingyu surely looked so lovely, handsome and happy. It looked so real and she woke up with a heavy heart. If her heart still wanted him, it would hurt her even more. She could never have his heart, and now in two days, she was going to confess and forget her feelings for him. Life was unfair sometimes, but she couldn’t do anything about it.  
  


“Yah, you really want to get over him, right? This is the right way I offered to you, and we’ve planned it, we’ve agreed with this idea. I’ve told you, you can’t go back. You have to face Mingyu and tell him your feelings.” Soon-young told her, looking at her with a sad look. He patted her arm. “I know it’s not easy, but I know you can do it.”  
  


She messed up her hair. “I don’t know, Soon-young, this is so frustrating.”  
  


Soon-young just gave her an assured smile. “You can do it. Believe me.”  
  


Suddenly a text came to her phone. She knitted her brows together to see the sender name.

 

_From: ㅈㅇㅇ  
Yah, daydreamer, meet me on Saturday at 3 pm._

 

Daydreamer? How rude, how could he call her that?

  
She hissed. “This guy is really…”

  
Soon-young looked at her phone curiously. “Who is that?”  
  


She looked up at him. “My senior in the photography club. We would go hunting some photos for our club exhibition next month.” She explained.  
  


“You joined a photography club?” Soon-young looked amazed.  
  


“Just recently. They accepted new members this semester.” She added. “And now we have to work in pairs. I really hate that idea, and my partner is really annoying.” Jeon Wonwoo’s face popped in her mind. Seriously, why should she have him as her partner?  
  


“Wow, you’ve got a new friend,” Soon-young commented. He smiled mysteriously.  
  


She hissed. “He’s not even a friend of mine, Soon-young. He’s my senior.”  
  


“You also considered me as an annoying kid years ago when we teamed up for biology class, but we’re good friends since then.” He shot. 

Yeah, he was right. But, Jeon Wonwoo was different. She just got the feeling that he was different.  
  


“Noo, this is different. I don’t think he has ‘the good friend’ vibe after we work together. He hates me.” she said, not sound regretful, but just stated the truth.  
  


“He hates you? Why?” Soon-young looked confused.  
  


“He’s the one I troubled last time, u-uh, I should go to coin laundry to wash his sweater.” She reminded him. Yeah, she didn’t know if Jeon Wonwoo had forgiven her about that accident or not, but they have exchanged some texts about the project they worked on (she got his number from their leader Seung-Cheol, he told her to contact Jeon Wonwoo anyways since Jeon Wonwoo actually didn’t make it to the meeting in the other day (it was weird though, Jeon Wonwoo was never absent)), it didn’t seem like he still hated her, but who knew.  
  


“Ah, that guy? He’s your senior?” Soon-young laughed. “The world is very small. How could you meet him?” he was still laughing.  
  


“I know right.” Why did she always sigh every time she talked about Jeon Wonwoo?  
  


“What did he say, anyway?” Soon-young looked curious. He tried to take a look at her phone screen.  
  


“He said we should meet on Saturday at 3 pm.” She answered, still looking at her phone.  
  


Soon-young’s eyes widened. “Yah, yah! Don’t tell me you forget you should meet Mingyu at 4 pm!”  
  


“I know that.” She still looked at her phone. “I will find the solution.” She said and typed a reply to Jeon Wonwoo.

 

 _To: ㅈㅇㅇ_  
I understand, sunbaenim.  
But can I decide the place we go on that day?


	6. Chapter 6

She already arrived at the place she would meet Jeon Wonwoo. It was in front of an electronic store. There were some TV displayed which could be seen through the glass wall. The place was not that far for the place she would meet Mingyu later in an hour. She was glad Jeon Wonwoo agreed to meet in this place, considering he didn’t ask anything why she chose this place. She didn’t know what she would say to him later but she would leave him for some time to meet Mingyu. Thinking about Mingyu, her heart became heavy. What would she say to him? She had practiced some lines, but she knew when she faced him, she would forget her words. She let out a very heavy sigh. She was really nervous.

  
She looked down at her wristwatch, she was 15 minutes earlier. She didn’t mind to wait, she could practice some lines to say to Mingyu.  
  


“H-hi, Mingyu, h-how are you…?” she let out the first casual and boring line, yet she found herself stuttering. Aish, this was not good. What if she stuttered a lot in front of him which obviously made her look stupid? She could predict that anyways. She messed up her hair in frustration.  
  


“What are you doing?”  
  


That cold voice made her turn around. Jeon Wonwoo rolled eyes at her. She hurriedly combed her hair with her fingers.  
  


“Sunbaenim, you came.” She tried to curl a smile. It didn’t give any effects to Jeon Wonwoo since he didn’t give any reaction. Well, just pretend that he couldn’t curl a smile.  
  


“Do you have any idea in mind about what you will capture today?” He asked her. She blinked in confusion.  
  


“Shouldn’t we walk around this area and then find interesting things to capture?” Jeon Wonwoo raised an eyebrow to hear these words.  
  


“You will randomly capture anything?” he said.  
  


She shook her hands. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She said. “I used to capture anything interesting.”  
  


Jeon Wonwoo snorted. “It sounds like you won’t stick to the theme.”  
  


She widened her eyes. “Of course I will stick to the theme, sunbaenim.” He rolled his eyes at her. _Hey, hey, I should be the one who does that!_ She just stared at him.  
  


“I’m watching you.” He said. “Follow me.”

  
She didn’t understand but their hunting today was just like her being his assistant. Every time he was about to capture things, she should make the surrounding looking good. She was also the one who rolled up his plaid t-shirt sleeves as they kind of disturbed when he was about going to take a photo. She didn’t know why she felt like his mom.  
  


“Wait a minute, sunbaenim, you can’t let those sleeves disturb you.” She hissed as she started to roll up the sleeves. Why did he wear a t-shirt like this? It was like it was bigger than his usual size and the sleeves were just too long, only his nails could be seen. He just stared at her while he was still holding his camera.  
  


“Actually I don’t think these sleeves will disturb my work.” He said.  
  


“Oh, yeah?” she glanced at him while busy rolling up the sleeves. “I’ve seen you tried to roll them up many times in twenty minutes.” He didn’t give her any reply.  
  


“Hurry up. I’m busy.” He said later.  
  


She rolled her eyes. “Almost done.”   
  


“Yah, take some Chupa cups from my bag.”  
  


_Why does it feel like I’m really his assistant?_

  
She took the candy and opened its wrapper then gave it to him. He didn’t say anything, having the candy in his mouth, and continued looking at his object he would capture. She tried to look for objects too, but she was still worried about her meeting with Mingyu. It was almost 4 pm, and there she was, a bit far from the place she would meet Mingyu. She was worried she couldn’t make it. She was worried she couldn’t say the words to Mingyu.  
  


She was very afraid.  
  


But she needed to meet him.  
  


She turned her head to face Jeon Wonwoo. “Sunbaenim!”  
  


Jeon Wonwoo looked at her, irritated. “What?” he looked like he was about capture something.  
  


“I’m thirsty. Can we go to a café over there?” she pointed a café across the street.  
  


“I bring a water bottle in my bag.” He answered, not answering the question.  
  


She frowned. “But I really want patbingsoo, sunbaenim, please?” she said. “I know they serve the best patbingsoo.” What a lame excuse.  
  


He raised an eyebrow. “We just walked like an hour.” he sounded annoyed. “Here, open my bag, you can drink my water.” He pointed his bag with his chin.  
  


_O-oh, this is not easy._

  
“But I want patbingsoo, sunbaenim.” She started to whine. “Please sunbae, pleaseeeee.” It was embarrassing but she needed to see Mingyu and she should give as many excuses as possible. She didn’t care what Jeon Wonwoo thought about her.  
  


“Why are you so noisy?” Jeon Wonwoo looked very irritated. “If you really want patbingsoo, you can go there alone. I wait here.”  
  


Her brain was working hard. _Is it okay to leave him here? He must be watching me going to the café across the street, eventually, I will go to the café over there._

_Whatever. I’ll do this._

  
“O-okay, I’ll just go there.” She replied at last.  
  


He stared at her. “Go.”  
  


“Do you want patbingsoo too, sunbaenim?”  
  


“Go.”  
  


“A-alright.”  
  


She hurriedly placed her camera in her bag, then she just ran leaving Jeon Wonwoo alone. It was three minutes to 4 pm and she just hoped her legs could run fast so that she could arrive in front of Mingyu soon. She predicted that he has been there, waiting for her. What she could remember from their high school days was that Mingyu never came late, always coming some minutes early. He was never late coming to their school reunion. So, probably Mingyu was already there for about some minutes.  
  


_Oh dear._

  
She still didn’t understand why Soon-young picked this restaurant, an Italian restaurant, to be the place where she would meet Mingyu. Soon-young never explained to her about this though. As she arrived and entered the restaurant, a waiter came to her.  
  


“Have you already reserved a table?”  
  


She was dizzy because of running, and she couldn’t think properly. “U-uh, reservation… Kim Mingyu?”  
  


“Ah, it’s over there.” The waiter said. She blinked. Oh, Soon-young used Mingyu’s name to book a table. As the waiter led her to the table, she could see someone she knew seating, looking down at his phone. It was not a dream, totally not a dream. This was real.  
  


Her heart was beating faster as the person looked up at her. The waiter said something to Mingyu, he said thanks, but he kept looking at her. Did she look bad? She did running so fast, did she sweat much? Oh, dear, she shouldn’t look bad in front of her first love.  
  


Mingyu didn’t change a bit in two years. He was still handsome and looked very bright. His face looked mature than before, his jawline looked sharper. He still had those beautiful and bright eyes.   
  


_Kim Mingyu, it’s been a while._   
  


_I’ve seen you in my dreams but still, I miss you._   
  


_I miss you._   
  


“You… Soon-young’s friend? My high school friend?” he was the one who started the conversation. She didn’t know how to react, but this just showed Mingyu really didn’t know her, it was seen how he mentioned her as Soon-young’s friend. She just nodded awkwardly. He smiled and she felt butterflies in her stomach. “Have a seat.”  
She took a seat in front of him. She could see Mingyu’s eyes were following her. It was awkward for her though. She never had someone looking at her like that. Either Mingyu looked amazed because she was full of sweat because she had been running to get here or he tried to remember her.  
  


“Di-did you wait so long?” she tried to talk. It was a surprise she could talk to him. She couldn’t believe it herself. It was the first time she talked to him. The first time, in five years. She almost shed tears, why it took so long for her to make herself brave talking to Mingyu. He was all friendly like he always was to everyone. But she couldn’t just blame herself, the timing, yeah, she never got the chance to talk to him. He had so many friends around him, and so many girls liked him. But again, yeah, it was all her fault not making the perfect time to talk to him. Well, she had so many regrets.  
  


Mingyu shook his head and smiled warmly. “No, I just arrived.” She thought if she kept looking at Mingyu’s smiles, she could die. Looking at him was never healthy for her heart’s health.  
  


“Ah, I t-thought I c-came r-really l-late.” She said. Darn it, stutter.  
  


“Don’t worry, you’re not late.” He smiled again. O-oh.  
  


A waiter came to their desk. “Can I take your order?”  
  


It didn’t take so long for Mingyu to mention his order. After mentioning some menu, he looked at her. “Anyway, what’s your name again? What do you want to order?” he curled a smile.  
  


It was like thunder struck in the sky.  
  


Yeah, that was right. He didn’t even know her name.  
  


Of course, she told Soon-young not to tell Mingyu her name. Why was she disappointed?  
  


And why was it she had to order?  
  


What was her intention of this meeting?  
  


She just wanted to tell him about her feelings.  
  


But, here, they were going to eat?  
  


No, wait. She didn’t think she could do this slowly.  
  


She should do it fast.  
  


She should tell him right now and it would be over.  
  


Yes, she should tell him now.  
  


She rose from her seat suddenly. This made Mingyu and the waiter got confused. It was very awkward, but she then walked to Mingyu and grabbed his hand. Mingyu looked totally puzzled.  
  


“I’m sorry, w-we need to talk for a m-moment.” She looked at the waiter. “We will order later.” She dragged Mingyu outside the restaurant.  
  


Well, it was weird, yet awkward. Mingyu’s hand was in hers. Oh dear, his hand was big and warm, it was like in her dreams. Oh right, she acted like this just like what she had done in her dreams. They used to hold hands. She knew the warmth of his hand, she already knew. She was still walking, getting farther from the Italian restaurant. She couldn’t think properly, her brain wasn’t working properly. She thought Mingyu was confused why she acted like this but ended up saying nothing. Whatever. She just needed to talk to Mingyu. But where was she going to take him? She herself didn’t know.  
  


“Wait. Where are we going?” Mingyu broke the silence between them. It made her stop walking. She slowly faced him. He looked totally confused and he was like waiting for an explanation from her. She looked down at their intertwined hands and slowly she released his hand from hers, even though the feeling when she had his hand in hers was very nice. She hoped she could hold his hand forever, but yeah, it was only in her dreams.  
  


“I-I’m sorry.” She murmured. “I c-can’t think properly, I just w-want to talk to you.”  
  


Mingyu gazed at her intently. “Okay. I’ll listen.” It was too nice of him, willing to listen to the story of a person he didn’t even know. Darn it. Why was he so nice to her?  
  


She took a deep breath. Yes, this was the time to tell him everything. “I k-know this is rude, I arranged a time to meet you and got you to listen to me even though you didn’t know me,” she said. “I don’t know w-why you agreed to meet me, but t-there’s something I want you to know.”  
  


Mingyu looked surprised to hear her words. “What is that?”  
  


She gulped. She knew this was so stupid, but she had no choice, she should tell him. “This is silly, but I’ve always seen you in my dreams. I don’t know why I always saw you there, but maybe it’s related to my feelings for you during high school and now.” he looked so shocked to hear this, but she couldn’t stop. She should tell him everything. “I like you, Kim Mingyu, from high school days until now.”  
  


“W-what?”  
  


Tears almost fell down on her cheeks, but she held onto them. She didn’t have the courage to face Mingyu, and she decided to look down looking at her shoes. It was really embarrassing. “I’m not saying this for you to give me answers, I just say this so that I can release myself from the burden. I thought I’ve buried my feelings for you since I can’t make you mine, but I was wrong. You kept appearing in my dreams, setting my hopes high, but actually, I never get the chance to get closer to you. We’re never together, you will never like me, and I’m still here hoping that you can like me back. Of course, it’s wrong. It will never happen.  
  


“I t-think, I think I should tell you my feelings, to burn the burden, and after that, I can go trying to f-forget you. I mean, I s-should forget you. I should.”  
  


Mingyu didn’t let out any words. She didn’t know what he was doing since she was just looking down. What she could hear was people walking passed by them, talking about many things. What should she tell him again? She has told him everything, hasn’t she? O-oh, this was so embarrassing. She was a little surprised when she heard Mingyu said  
  


“So, you met me now to tell me your feelings and then you will forget me?”  
  


She didn’t dare to look up. She just nodded. “I hope we don’t meet each other anymore.”  
  


“But, we will meet in reunion every year, right?”  
  


“I don’t think I can come there again.”  
  


Mingyu sounded confused. “You will not come?”  
  


“It will make no difference. If I come, I just want to see you. I shouldn’t do that.” She laughed awkwardly. She didn’t understand why she told him this.  
  


Another awkward silence came in.  
  


Uh, this was not comfortable.  
  


“I gotta go.”  
  


“Right now?”  
  


She nodded. “Goodbye. Live well.”  
  


She couldn’t hold her tears anymore. She turned her body and walked away. This was the most heartbreaking moment, she should let go of her feelings for Mingyu, for the sake of her life. She should live her life without the shadows of Mingyu, even though Mingyu never did anything wrong to her, she needed to forget him.  
  


_Goodbye, Kim Mingyu._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim Mingyu's POV

Kim Mingyu was dumbfounded as the girl who should spend the evening with him at the Italian restaurant (or he thought so) just dragged him outside. He had no idea what the things she needed to talk to him and why it couldn’t be talked over dinner. She was still dragging him, her hand in his. Her hand was small and cold. She just kept walking, not even looking back at him. She walked through people who were also walking on this sidewalk. She was like she didn’t care about people as she bumped into some. Mingyu didn’t understand. Where would she bring him?

  
“Wait. Where are we going?” Mingyu broke the silence between them.  
  


She stopped walking. She slowly looked at him. He never saw that expression before, she looked confused and sad at the same time. He noticed that she realized that she was still holding his hand. She slowly released her hand from his. Ah, he lost that small and cold hand from his hand. It was not like they were holding hands for some long time, but sure, he felt like it has been so long.  
  


“I-I’m sorry.” She murmured. “I c-can’t think properly, I just w-want to talk to you.”  
  


Mingyu gazed at her intently. “Okay. I’ll listen.” He was curious about what she would talk about. They could talk about it over dinner, right? That was why they met in the restaurant, right? Oh, he didn’t really know why they had to meet in an Italian restaurant. It was all arranged by his high school mate, Kwon Soon-young. Soon-young said one of their high school friend wanted to meet him as she didn’t get the chance to greet him the other day. This girl, yeah, she was his high school friend, but he didn’t even remember who she was. There were too many students, he barely remembered them all. But if this girl came to their reunion, he should remember her. But, no, he couldn’t remember her. Why was that?  
  


She took a deep breath. “I k-know this is rude, I arranged the time to meet you and got you to listen to me even though you didn’t know me,” she said. “I don’t know w-why you agreed to meet me, but t-there’s something I want you to know.”  
  


He blinked many times. “What is that?”  
  


She gulped. She looked like she didn’t want to say the words, but she had to. She looked a bit depressed. Mingyu was really curious. She then said. “This is silly, but I’ve always seen you in my dreams.”  
  


Seen me in dreams? Mingyu couldn’t believe what she said.  
  


Her eyes were a bit teary, they were red, and looking at her eyes, he knew she was telling him the truth, he saw pains there. She continued. “I don’t know why I always saw you there, but maybe it’s related to my feelings for you during high school and now.”   
  


Feelings? He couldn’t hide his shock.  
  


“I like you, Kim Mingyu, from high school days until now.”  
  


“W-what?” what did he hear just now?   
  


_She likes… me?  
_

_From high school days? Until now?_  
  


She looked down at her shoes this time. “I’m not saying this for you to give me answers, I just say this so that I can release myself from the burden. I thought I’ve buried my feelings for you since I can’t make you mine, but I was wrong. You kept appearing in my dreams, setting my hopes high, but actually, I never get the chance to get closer to you. We’re never together, you will never like me, and I’m still here hoping that you can like me back. Of course, it’s wrong. It will never happen.  
  


“I t-think, I think I should tell you my feelings, to burn the burden, and after that, I can go trying to f-forget you. I mean, I s-should forget you. I should.”  
  


Mingyu didn’t let out any words. How should he react to this? She didn’t want answers from him, she just wanted him to know. But why, why was it like this? This kind of confession was the confession he never experienced, yes, in a crowd of people. As she kept silent, what he could hear was people walking past them, talking about many random things. But, could he conclude the purpose of their meeting today?  
  


“So, you met me now to tell me your feelings and then you will forget me?” he asked her, trying to make everything clear.  
  


She didn’t dare to look up. She just nodded. “I hope we don’t meet each other anymore.”  
  


He didn’t know why he didn’t like that kind of answer. Man, they just met each other today, how could she refuse to meet him again? “But, we will meet in reunion every year, right?” he asked her without even knowing.  
  


“I don’t think I can come there again.” Another reaction he disliked came out from her mouth.  
  


 “You will not come?” why was she like this?  
  


“It will make no difference. If I come, I just want to see you. I shouldn’t do that.” She laughed awkwardly.   
  


O-oh.  
  


Another awkward silence came in.  
  


Uh, this was not comfortable for him. Before he could say something, she said more shocking words  
  


“I gotta go.”  
  


He tried not to sound too shocked. “Right now?” then they wouldn’t go back to the restaurant? Hey, he had order meals. Couldn’t they just go back to the restaurant and talk, and eat?  
  


She nodded. “Goodbye. Live well.”  
  


She walked away. Mingyu almost tried to stop her by gripping her hand but it was no use. He couldn’t reach her hand. She was walking in the opposite direction to the restaurant, she didn’t even look back. He looked her made some move like she was wiping out her tears from her cheeks. She’s crying? Oh my, he had made a girl crying! What should he do?  
  


At last, he walked back to the restaurant with no energy, it felt like he was breaking up with someone. The waiter earlier looked confused to find him alone.  
  


“Where’s your date, sir?”  
  


“My what?” Mingyu asked back as he sat on his seat earlier.  
  


“Your girlfriend earlier. Why did you come back alone?”  
  


Ah, the waiter referred to that girl, Mingyu thought. “She’s not my girlfriend. And yeah, she needs to go somewhere.” That was all he could say to the waiter.  
  


The waiter nodded. “Do you still want to order the same menu?”  
  


“Yes, please,” Mingyu replied. He was a bit upset, he should eat. He was dead hungry anyways.  
  


As the waiter was gone, Mingyu took his phone from his pocket and dialed someone’s number.  
  


_Kwon Soon-young’s._  
  


Soon-young should explain all of this.  
  


“Oh, Mingyu, this is me. Why?” Soon-young casually answered the phone.  
  


Mingyu couldn’t hold his anger. “YAH, Kwon Soon-young! What is this meeting you involved me in?” he then realized some other people turned their heads to look at his table. Oh, he just embarrassed himself.  
  


Soon-young sounded confused. “Yah, what are you talking about?”  
  


“Meeting with that our high school friend! That girl. Why did you ask me to meet her?” he was sure his voice was too high, but whatever. He couldn’t hide his anger.  
  


“Aren’t you supposed to be with her right now?” Soon-young sounded panicked.  
  


Mingyu let out a deep sigh. “She left, after saying she liked me.”  
  


“Wow, she’s done it!” this reaction made Mingyu confused even more.  
  


“Kwon Soon-young, what is this? I thought you set a blind date for me.” Yeah, this was what Mingyu thought at the time Soon-young contacted him that day. Mingyu was all prepared to meet this girl since he always thought she could be his date. But what did he get here? The girl met him, telling him her feelings, and saying she would forget him and never meet him again. He was left alone. That was not what he had imagined. He imagined that they would have a nice dinner, and then they would go to the cinema to watch a movie. That was like a date, right? Of course, he thought about that since he thought the girl was the one he was going to date. He had so many plans, but she just stopped him before he could start any of them.  
  


“What? You thought it was a blind date?” Soon-young sounded more shocked.  
  


“So, it’s not?” Mingyu asked him back.  
  


“Of course not! Why did you think it was?” Soon-young said, sounded frustrated in the other line.  
  


“Because everyone tries to set dates for me before!” Mingyu replied in frustration.   
  


_So, that was not a blind date? It was not?_  
  


_Really?_  
  


“Wait, who set you on blind dates before?” Mingyu heard Soon-young asking him after some seconds of silence.  
  


“Boo Seungkwan and Lee Seokmin.”  
  


Mingyu could hear Soon-young bursting out laughing and he didn’t get it why Soon-young laughed.  
  


“Yah, yah! Why are you laughing?” Mingyu protested.  
  


Soon-young was still laughing. “I don’t understand, you’re so popular, many girls like you, man. But why did Seungkwan and Seokmin set you on blind dates? And why them?”  
  


Mingyu let out a sigh. This was the problem of his. He never felt attracted to someone, it was hard for him to be attracted to someone. Many girls confessed to him, saying that they liked him, but he never felt his heart fluttered. Many girls also flirted with him. But he didn’t know why no one of them could take his heart. He hasn’t found his type, and that was a pity. Seungkwan and Seokmin knew this as recently Mingyu talked to them that the recent girl confessed to him was his friend at the campus, but he had no feeling for her, not having his heart flutter. He has rejected so many girls, and he knew his type was so far from reality.  
  


“So, you want to have a girlfriend?” Seokmin asked Mingyu, months ago after their school reunion. Mingyu just nodded to the question. That was the truth, anyway.  
  


“But I don’t understand your type. What’s your type anyway?” Seungkwan asked him this time.  
  


“Someone who makes my heart flutters,” Mingyu answered. Seungkwan and Seokmin looked confused.  
  


“How can we find someone like that?” Seokmin protested. “It all depends on you.” Mingyu let out a sigh. Seungkwan then said  
  


“No, Seokmin, we should let Mingyu meet as many girls as possible. Then he will choose the right one himself.”  
  


“What?”  
  


“We should arrange him on blind dates!”  
  


That was the start of all these blind dates.  
  


But why did Mingyu think Soon-young arrange a blind date for him too? Was it because he thought Seungkwan and Seokmin told Soon-young about his problem?  
  


“Oh seriously, Kim Mingyu, I didn’t try to set you on blind dates,” Soon-young said again after he stopped laughing. “Anyways, I’m surprised Seungkwan and Seokmin let you meet as many girls as possible. Did they already have one for themselves?” he laughed again.  
  


“I didn’t know about that,” Mingyu snorted, ”but they tried to help me.”  
  


“I’m sorry, Mingyu, I didn’t help, but really, the girl who met you earlier, she’s my best friend, I just helped her out,” Soon-young said.  
  


“You helped her out?” Mingyu still didn’t get it. He heard Soon-young letting out a sigh.  
  


“How to explain it?” Soon-young sounded confused about how to start. “Oh okay, here, she always got dreams about you. You always appeared in her dreams. And she was so depressed about that. I thought she had forgotten about you years ago since she liked you from high school days, but no, it seems like you haunted her, and she loves you still.” He explained. “I thought that the core of her problem is that she hasn’t confessed her feelings for you during high school days. That’s why I told her to confess to you so she won’t get dreams about you anymore. And that’s how she will forget her feelings for you, and forget you.”  
  


Mingyu still didn’t believe this.  
  


“D-did she really dream about me?” he asked Soon-young.  
  


“Yeah, that’s what she told me. You either appear just to smile at her or talk to her and some other things like that.”  
  


“How did that happen? We never talk before, I mean, before today.” Mingyu seemed so puzzled.  
  


“Nah, pal, that’s the power of love,” Soon-young said. “She thinks so much about you and she ends up getting dreams about you.”  
  


“What?”  
  


“She likes you a lot,” Soon-young said again.  
  


Mingyu felt his heart shaken. Oh, why did she like him that much?  
  


He was deeply in thought but then he heard Soon-young said again  
  


“Don’t think about it too much, Mingyu, I know you used to get confessions before. She just wanted to tell you about her feelings. I hope you can forgive her if she acted not nice to you today. She didn’t mean it.”  
  


Mingyu was deeply in thought again.  
  


“Wait, can I meet her again?” Mingyu said suddenly.  
  


“W-what?”  
  


Mingyu never felt so sure like this before about the girls he met on blind dates. Yeah, he never met the girls on blind dates twice. But then he wanted to meet this girl again? And the girl was not even the girl he supposed to meet on a blind date?  
  


“Tell me everything about her,” Mingyu said to Soon-young.  
  


Mingyu focused on everything Soon-young said about the girl. He even forgot about his food and even forgot that he was hungry.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the first time Mingyu came to a photography exhibition. It was held in an auditorium, it was big, and all the wall was white-painted. All the photos were hung on the walls and they were all in frames. He looked at all the photos one by one. He was obviously looking for that girl’s photo.

  
Oh, actually he came here to see that girl.  
  


Soon-young told Mingyu to meet her again during the photography exhibition. It was her club’s event. Mingyu didn’t even know that she joined the photography club. Well, there were many things about the girl he didn’t even know. He knew nothing, but he wanted to know. Why did he want to know? Oh, he had asked that question to himself many times. Maybe he found her fascinating? Because of the way she treated him on the first meeting? Or was it because of the fact she had dreamt about him many times? It was weird yet cute, the fact that they haven’t talked during high school and she dreamt about him. Did she really think of him so much? Did she really do that?  
  


Did she really do that? Did she really like him?  
  


At last, he found her photo.  
  


It was seen in the photo, a kindergarten kid waiting for his parents to pick him up. The kid was standing in front of the gate, looking at other kid who was picked up by both mom and dad, holding the hands of his mom and dad. The photo was focused on the kid behind, but it was clearly seen the longing gaze of the kid looking at the other kid and his parents. The photo arose questions, either the kid looked that sad because he hadn’t been picked up by his parents, or the one who would pick him up either just his dad or his mom, not both.  
  


He looked at the name under the photo.  
  


Her name.  
  


It was hers, it was hers.  
  


Mingyu curled a smile. After finding her photo, he realized that he really wanted to see her. He looked around the hall, looking for her. His eyes caught a photo which was being looked at by many people. Mingyu dragged his legs there, and he was surprised to find the photo people looking at.  
  


It was…him?  
  


Him in the photo?  
  


He didn’t remember someone capturing him before.  
  


In the photo, that girl was leaving him and crying, meanwhile, Mingyu looked like he wanted to stop her.  
  


He couldn’t stop blinking since he didn’t believe what he was seeing right now.  
  


Slowly he remembered when the photo was taken.  
  


It was the day he met her for the first time.  
  


Who took this photo?  
  


Mingyu looked down the photo, seeing the name of the photo owner.

 

_전원우 Wonwoo Jeon  
Title: After years passed, letting go of someone you like will never be easy_

 

The photo was focused mainly on Mingyu, but you could see her face clearly, it was a bit in the dark side and just half of her body seen, but people could see still her tears as she was seen wiping out her tears. But who took this? Jeon Wonwoo? Who was he?

  
Mingyu didn’t realize that people looking at the photo started to look at him. It seemed like they were aware that Mingyu was one of the main characters in the photo. He smiled slightly and it was awkward. He slowly went away from the crowd. Where’s she? He started to feel uneasy that he couldn’t find her. To his wish, his eyes caught her figure. She was standing near the exit door, talking with a guy. She looked annoyed and confused. The guy in front of her was just calmly looking at her, but he looked annoyed as well. _Are they arguing or something?_  
  


“….you told me it’s up to me. You didn’t even see the photos I took, yet now you protested about the photo I picked for this exhibition?”  
  


“It’s not about that, sunbae. It meant you following me that day?”  
  


“I’ve said to you I’m watching you. I followed you to whatever café you mentioned, the one you wanted to go to, you said you’re thirsty. But see? You went to an Italian restaurant and met a guy.”  
  


“B-but…”  
  


“You lied to me, didn’t you?”  
  


“B-but, I didn’t go for a very long time.”  
  


“Oh yeah? But you were supposed to work with me, not going on a date with a guy.”  
  


“I-I’ve promised to meet him that day too, sunbae. I couldn’t help it.”  
  


“Okay, okay, I got it.”  
  


“But again, why did you pick that photo? It’s so embarrassing.”  
  


“So it’s a big deal for you?”  
  


“Of course! What if he comes and sees it?”  
  


_They’re arguing about the photo?_   
  


Mingyu could see she stopped talking as she saw him walking near. He never looked her that shocked. Her eyes got wider and she was like she was seeing a ghost. She turned pale. Oh, he didn’t want to see that look in her face. It burdened him. Anyway, the guy beside her looked at Mingyu coldly, as if Mingyu had done something wrong and it was like the guy hated Mingyu. Mingyu blinked. What did he do wrong? And who was the guy actually? Was he really the one who took that photo earlier? Jeon Wonwoo? Oh, that name didn’t even ring a bell. Whatever.  
  


“Hi.” Mingyu greeted her, smiling, entering a very awkward situation. She still had that shocked look in her face.

  
“M-Mingyu… w-what are y-you d-doing h-here?” she asked him, stuttering. Why did Mingyu find this cute? Mingyu couldn’t hold his wide smile.  
  


He hoped she understood why he was here by looking at his smile because he was happy to finally find her.  
  


She looked even disturbed. “D-did y-you see the photo?”  
  


She did refer to the photo Mingyu saw before. Mingyu then nodded. “I did.” Her expression didn’t change, she was still shocked. He then said, ”I come to see you, though, not to see the photo.” O-oh, this made her face redden. Mingyu blinked. Did he say something wrong? He was trying to be honest though.  
  


“I-I…” she couldn’t complete her words.  
  


O-oh, he just needed some time to talk to her.  
  


He grabbed her hand. “Let’s have some coffee.”  
  


It was him to grab her hand this time, the last time she was the one who did that. She looked even shocked, and she looked confused about what to say the guy she was talking to earlier. The guy looked completely annoyed, but Mingyu just gave him a slight smile and bowed a little, before later he dragged her outside the hall.  
  


“I-I’m sorry, sunbae. I’ll be back soon.” Mingyu heard her talking to the guy.


	9. Chapter 9

 

“Did something happen? You seem upset.” Mingyu tried to break the silence between them. They were sitting on a bench near her faculty building, enjoying the nice weather and drinking coffee. She glanced at him and then looked down at her coffee cup in her hand. He didn’t think she would be that open to him since they were not close, but he just tried to ask. Surprisingly, she said

 

“U-uh, it’s a-about that photo. Y-your p-photo.”

 

Mingyu’s lips started to curl a smile. “What about that?”

 

She was still looking at her coffee. “It-it was taken by my senior earlier. But, I h-haven’t seen it and h-he didn’t talk to me about it. T-that’s why I’m a bit upset.”

 

“Why don’t you want it to be show-casted?” he asked her. He surely knew her words previously to her senior. _What if he comes and sees it?_ She didn’t want him to see it, he caught a worried tone in her words. Why was that?

 

She sighed. “D-didn’t it look pathetic?” she was then taken aback like she had said something wrong. She looked at him and blinked. “Not you! I m-mean, I mean, me. I looked pathetic.”

 

He stared at her with a soft gaze. “You didn’t look that way.” He said tenderly. Hearing the words, she then looked away. He took a deep breath. “I think it’s because the photo reminds you of your confession, reminds you of your feelings for me which you want to throw away.”

 

She didn’t give any reaction, but he could see her body became stiff.

 

“W-why did you come here?” she finally said something but changed the topic.

 

Mingyu gave her a smile, a smile she couldn’t see since she wasn’t looking at him. “I’ve told you, I wanted to see you.”

 

This really disturbed her. She then asked,”W-why did you want to see me?”

 

“Why you said,” Mingyu took a sip of his coffee,”I guess I need to know more about the girl who left me after saying she liked me.” he could see her face redden. Oh dear, he shouldn’t say something too honestly like that. “I, uh, I just want to see you. I think you left too soon on that day. I haven’t said much.” He added at last.

 

“W-who told you I’m here? And a-about the p-photography exhibition?” she asked without reacting to his words earlier.

 

He sighed. “Kwon Soon-young.” He saw her muttered something under her breath. “Please don’t get mad at him. He told me everything so I didn’t misunderstand about the situation.”

 

Her body looked stiff again. “W-what di-did he tell you?”

 

“About you, your dreams about me, your feelings for me, and on how he tried to help you to meet me,” he replied, still looking at her even though she didn’t look at him. Well, this was hard, he used to have people looking at him every time he talked. But he kept on talking. “At first, I didn’t believe what you’ve said to me.” he laughed awkwardly, recalling that weird day, the day when she suddenly confessed her feelings for him and leaving him after that. “About your feelings and dreams, and you wanted to get over me because you felt burdens since you couldn’t make me yours.” He mentioned all the words she said that day. He remembered them, all of them.

 

“Honestly, I thought Soon-young was trying to match me with someone, since some of our high school friends set blind dates, for me, yeah.”

 

This time, she turned her head to Mingyu. He could see her face, her confused expression. He rejoiced a little inside since he got to see her face. He then continued.

 

“Yeah, I thought you were the one whom I should meet that day, my blind date.”

 

“What?”

 

He laughed to himself. “It’s silly, right? But I never told Soon-young about this, actually, he had no idea. It’s all my fault. Maybe I’m too depressed to get a date.” He was still awkwardly laughing to himself. It was getting more awkward between them.

 

She still looked confused. “You…w-who set blind dates for you?”

 

“You must know Boo Seungkwan? And Lee Seokmin?” he saw her nodded. “They two regularly set blind dates for me.” He shrugged. “And yeah, when Soon-young told me about you, who wanted to meet me, I didn’t know I just got the thought that he would match me with someone. Then I agreed and told him I could meet you on Saturday.” Yeah, this was the silly act of him. He believed something he wanted to believe without even trying to seek for the truth. He wondered himself if he was really that depressed to get a girlfriend. Well, he had to admit that he was.

 

“I m-must have s-surprised y-you t-that day.” she murmured.

 

“Honestly, yeah.” He replied. “But, it’s okay.” He smiled. “At last I could tell you the truth now.”

 

She just nodded and seemed in deep thought. She looked away and looked down at her coffee again. Hey, was the coffee more fascinating than the guy sitting next to her? Mingyu slightly frowned.

 

“Can I ask you something?” He gave her another question to keep her attention to him once again.

 

She replied but not looking at him. ”W-what is it?”

 

He was looking forward to asking this question.

 

“Did you still have dreams about me?”

 

He didn’t know but maybe he asked the wrong question again. He saw from the side her face was really red like a tomato. What to do? He really wanted to ask that question.

 

“Did you?” he repeated the question after some thirteen seconds of silence.

 

“I d-did.” She finally replied, still not looking at him.

 

“You did?” he widened his eyes in shock. “I thought the dreams really stopped.” It just showed that Soon-young’s theory about her confessing to Mingyu didn’t work. Well, we just couldn’t predict what dream we got when we’re asleep. But continuing dreaming about one particular person was a bit strange. He didn’t know the pattern of her dreams, he always appeared or not, and what she had been thinking lately or before sleeping. He didn’t know much about how humans got dreams during sleep though.

 

She laughed dryly. “No, not, unfortunately.”

 

She really considered dreams of him as an unfortunate event. What a pity. He thought the dreams which he was in would be very nice. He frowned a bit, but he was still curious.

 

“What did you see lately then?” he asked again.

 

“You took me to a park.” She replied the tone was like she was daydreaming.

 

“Just it?”

 

“Oh, we talked about many things.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Your job, mine, and holiday.”

 

“Oh, you seem seeing the future.”

 

“I think it’s just all my fantasy.”

 

“You did think much about me?”

 

“Maybe I did.”

 

“So, you still like me?”

 

After exchanging some words casually, and heck, he really liked it, she stopped and did not answer him again. He groaned inside. Why did she stop? Oh, he really liked hearing her talking. Wait? What? He liked what? _Seriously, Kim Mingyu, you like her talking!?_ Mingyu cleared his throat and tried to clear his mind. He couldn’t get himself together. What was wrong with him? After arguing with himself, he found that they were in silence again. Oh, he could endure it a bit longer.

 

“I hope you will take your own words to me, that you will forget your feelings for me and forget about me,” he said after another thirteen seconds of silence.

 

She sounded puzzled. “W-why?”

 

He took a deep breath. This was maybe weird, but hey, he couldn’t get any good ideas and he just got weird ideas in his brain. All he could think was weird suggestions, weird ideas. He wondered if she would agree with this one. “U-uh, what about a date? I mean, we go on a _real_ date. What do you think?”

 

He never saw her eyes in a very shocked beam, but well, they were still attractive for him.

 

Well, he finally had found someone who made his heart flutter.


	10. Chapter 10

The flutter didn’t stop just like that.

  
Today Mingyu and the girl would go on a date.

A real date.  
  


He felt his heart beating two times faster as he thought of that word ‘date’.  
  


Oh, he was going to go on a date.  
  


Oh, it was so exciting!  
  


Woo-hoo!  
  


Mingyu couldn’t help but smile like an idiot.  
  


He was so happy (he knew he shouldn’t be like this since he didn’t know she would say ‘yes’ for going for other dates or not) that finally, he told Seungkwan and Seokmin.  
  


“Oh man, really?” Seokmin sounded so happy on the other line. “I’m so happy you find the right girl! She must be very special.”  
  


_She’s very special indeed._   
  


Seungkwan took the phone from Seokmin. “Is it true that Kwon Soon-young is the one who set you up with that girl? What’s the class she in?”  
  


“She was in the same class with Soon-young, and yeah, I can say that Soon-young setting us up,” Mingyu replied.  
  


“Wow, that’s really great!” Seungkwan squalled. “He didn’t know our plans but he helped out of the blue. I’m really thankful.” He giggled.  
  


Seokmin took the phone from Seungkwan. “Congrats, Mingyu! I hope I hear good news from you soon.”  
  


Mingyu chuckled. “I hope you two get girlfriends too.”  
  


“Don’t worry about us.” Mingyu heard Seungkwan’s voice.  
  


“Oh, I’m so happy! Seungkwan, we and Soon-young should open a matchmaking service!”  
  


“Actually that’s not a bad idea!”  
  


Mingyu hoped the best for his two best friends.  
  


He was now waiting for her in an Italian restaurant. They would meet at 4 pm. Yes, it was like a dejavu. He didn’t know why he decided to reserve a table in the same restaurant at the same time. He thought that their supposed-to-be-called date a month ago needed to be continued by doing the same thing. They didn’t eat last time, he ate alone, and that was not fun. It was like he wanted to do the plans he had made for that day.  
  


“Can I take your order?” a waiter came to his table and actually it was the same waiter who served him that day. The waiter recognized Mingyu as Mingyu gave him a smile. “Is your girlfriend coming today, sir?”  
  


“She will come, but we’re not officially dating yet,” Mingyu told him the information the waiter didn’t need to know. The waiter just nodded in response. “I will order when she arrives,” Mingyu added.  
  


“I understand.” The waiter left.  
  


It was 3 minutes to 4 pm and she hasn’t arrived yet.  
  


She had told him that she had something to do related to her photography club before she came here. He wondered if it was still related to another exhibition since she told him that lately, the club members should work in pairs to hunt some photos. She didn’t tell him much about the club but he knew that her partner was the one who took the photo of Mingyu and her. That Jeon Wonwoo sunbaenim. Maybe he didn’t need to think of this, but somehow that sunbaenim stared at Mingyu coldly, especially when Mingyu came back at the exhibition hall that day. She took Mingyu on a tour of the exhibition and all Mingyu could feel was cold stares behind his back. That sunbaenim looked like he hated Mingyu. Mingyu told this to her, and she answered  
  


“Well, h-he stares at me like that too, perhaps h-he hates e-everyone.”  
  


No, that was not true. That sunbaenim stared at her differently.  
  


Mingyu was thinking about some possibilities as she arrived. He instantly forgot about what he had been thinking earlier.  
  


“Di-did you wait so long?” she asked. Actually, that was the same question she asked at their first meeting. The dejavu felt even real. She even looked the same, those sweats on her face. Last month when they met for the first time, he couldn’t get his eyes off of her, since he predicted why she was in sweats, maybe because she had been running to get here, and it was all for him. Seriously, she didn’t need to run. He would wait, that was okay. He also tried to recognize her face at that time. He cursed himself as he didn’t remember her. He wasn’t the person who easily forgot someone’s face. But how couldn’t he remember her face? He himself didn’t know.   
  


Mingyu shook his head and smiled warmly. “No, I just arrived.” Actually, he had been here for about 15 minutes. That was the same amount of time he waited for her last time. Maybe he came too early. Anyways, he didn’t mind.  
  


“Ah, I t-thought I c-came r-really l-late.” She said. Oh, it really gave him goosebumps. She said the exact words as words she said to him a month ago.  
  


“Don’t worry, you’re not late.” He smiled again. She just nodded then she took a seat in front of him.  
  


A waiter came to their desk. “Can I take your order?”  
  


Mingyu smiled even wider, the waiter was the waiter who asked him what to order minutes ago. The waiter knew this signal from Mingyu, then he glanced at the girl. “Oh, your girlfriend has come.” The waiter commented.  
  


Mingyu smiled proudly. “Yes.” Oh my, he couldn’t stop smiling. Maybe he looked like an idiot now. He glanced at her, she looked clueless but she looked puzzled with what the waiter said. Mingyu coughed. “What do you want to order?” he asked her.  
  


“Why don’t you ask me why I picked this place again?” Mingyu asked her as the waiter left again. She stared at him, and then she just shook her head. He gave her a smile. “We haven’t eaten together here, I mean we supposed to eat together, at that time. Oh, maybe that was what I wanted us to do.”  
  


She looked a little bit uneasy. “I-I’m really sorry, b-but at t-that time I just wanted to tell you my f-feelings as soon as p-possible.” She said. O-oh, he thought he was too honest that he could make her feel uneasy and keep saying sorry. But then he knew why she dragged him out of the restaurant. It was like all the puzzle pieces matched together. Well.  
  


“O-oh, forget it! I didn’t mind you dragged me outside that day.” he quickly said, a bit panicked, shaking his hands. “It didn’t also mean we should follow my plan. I shouldn’t make any plans like that either,” he added. “I-I just want to remember that day. That was the first time I met you.” He murmured.  
  


She just nodded, her face reddened. “I g-get it.” She said. “Why did you want to remember it?” he had her asking him.  
  


Mingyu smiled at her. “Because maybe I wanted to recall the moment when I met again with a school friend I never see and talk to, and also the girl I thought would be my blind date.” She didn’t give any reaction to this but just nodded groggily. He then leaned in,”Tell me, did you see me a lot at school?”  
  


She looked down a bit and smiled slightly. “Of course.” She answered. “You were everywhere, here and there. You’re always at places that could be seen easily.”  
  


He smiled at her words. It was really nostalgic, this date was like a reunion, but a private one, since there were only him and her. “Where did you see me?”  
  


“At the hallway, at the yard, library, but I always saw you on the yard, when you and your team were playing soccer.” She answered.  
  


“Wow, you knew about the soccer team?” he looked amazed by this fact.  
  


“Of course. You and your team was the school’s top team back then.” She nodded and giggled. He was glad to see her talking like this, she didn’t stutter again, and she looked like she already got used to talking to him about anything. He couldn’t lie that those eyes of hers were attractive every time she tried to tell a story. They were brighter every time she recalled the memory of their high school days, the memory of him. He could tell that she did really have those feelings to him. Oh, he started to feel butterflies in his stomach. “There were many girls watching you all practicing, including me,” she added, he bet she caught him staring at her admiringly.  
  


“Oh, really? You were there? And I didn’t see you?” he said. The waiter came again with their food, but he was still thinking hard until he forgot to say thanks to the waiter. She had done it instead, the waiter smiled a little before leaving.  
  


“I always sat and stood on the back, so you couldn’t see me.” She replied, looking at Mingyu again. “The girls were always loud though, didn’t you remember? No wonder your team was very great at that era.”  
  


“But really, why haven’t I seen you? I mean, your class was beside mine, and our classes often had the same time for PE.” He tried to recall everything related to her. She just smiled at his words.  
  


“Oh, I happened to sit beside you during basketball practice.” She recalled the memory. “But you didn’t see me, and you were busy talking with Seungkwan and Seokmin.”  
  


“Oh? Did I?” he blinked many times. Oh, he didn’t believe he didn’t remember about this one.  
  


She smiled slightly. “Yeah.”  
  


“We haven’t talked before, at school?” really, they never talked before? He was curious why he couldn’t remember her.  
  


“I get it why you didn’t know me, it’s okay.” She smiled, assuring. “I didn’t really have many friends back then, I hang out mostly with some girls in my class only, and sometimes I hang out with Jun—you know Junhui, right? He’s the leader of the archery club— and Soon-young. I used to spend time much in class and the library. I’m just literally nobody, not like you. Everybody at school knows Kim Mingyu.” She giggled. He was a bit embarrassed at this remark.  
  


“Eyyy, it’s not like that.” He said, shaking his hands again. “I’m just being talkative to everybody.” He was glad to see her giggling to his joke. Oh, she’s giggling to his lame joke. He didn’t know why he felt so happy.  
  


“Not being talkative, you were just being a warm person. You talked and smiled a lot to everybody at school. Maybe that’s why I liked you.”  
  


Mingyu blinked to hear her letting out those words and she widened her eyes in surprise. It seemed like she didn’t expect his silent reaction or else she didn’t plan to say such words bluntly. She blushed even more. She said again that she liked him. Mingyu couldn’t help but smile widely.  
  


“Let’s eat. Our food is getting cold.” He changed the topic but still smiling.  
  


She just nodded with embarrassment and obediently started to eat her food, and for some minutes they ate in silence, with Mingyu smiling and staring at her with so many butterflies in his stomach.


	11. Chapter 11

“Where’s your house?” Mingyu asked. They were walking slowly from the bus stop. It was late and Mingyu decided to walk her home. Mingyu had so much fun today. After having dinner, they continued their date to Yeouido Park, enjoying the evening view and riding bicycles together. Really, it had been a while he didn’t feel that happy. It had been a while as well that he finally came to the park again. He realized he didn’t have much time to just enjoy the beautiful scenery seen from the park. It was very pleasant. He also realized that the day was way more fun because she was with him. He could see that she finally got used to him, she started to talk about many things casually. He thought that she was comfortable with him, and he felt the same for her too. She was very understanding and friendly.

 

“It’s over there.” She replied.

 

“It’s quite far from your campus.” He commented.

 

“If you compare it to your house, it’s not that far.” She giggled.

 

He chuckled. “My house is really on the other side of the city.” He added. “You know where my house is?” he asked her, pretending not to expect any answer he didn’t know.

 

She looked at him. “Is it still the same house you lived when you’re in high school, right?”

 

“Yeah.” He replied.

 

“Then I know where it is.”

 

“You sure know everything about me.”

 

She giggled at this. “Of course~” she sang. “I knew it from girls of your fan club during high school. You’re surely famous at school, don’t you realize that? ” They laughed together at this. It was so funny how she made jokes about her feelings for him. It didn’t seem like she thought of it as a weird thing anymore. It was nice, it made her more comfortable around him.

 

He smiled at this. “Tell me things I don’t know, then.” He teased.

 

She smiled slightly. “Okay.” She looked like she was thinking hard. “Um, some of the girls often asked boys in your class, asking about you, your favorite meals, things, anything. That’s one of the points about how they got information about you. The rest, they collected them themselves.”

 

“My classmates never told me about that.” He commented, looking amazed as always.

 

“Of course~ the girls told them not to. Instead, the girls gave them drinks during lunch break.” She giggled at the memory. “It was sure so funny, also how they should run after they saw you coming closer. I have once followed the plan, and you almost caught us.”

 

“Oh, really?” he couldn’t help but smile widely.

 

She nodded. “You were walking and talking with some other guys from soccer club when we were gathering in front of your class. We quickly dismissed and hid before you saw us.” She added. “You didn’t remember that one, I guess?” she glanced at him.

 

His friends used to remind him of some memories of high school during their reunion, but why he didn’t even remember a little thing she said to him now? They were memories he never involved directly, but he was a part of those memories. He of course didn’t remember any of them. But by the way, she explained it to him, he wished he could remember. He found himself not want the girl disappointed. Look at her, she looked so happy recalling the things she did during high school. He was sure it was not bad memories after all, but why did she want to forget him?

 

Even though he had known the answer, he still didn’t believe it. He believed nothing was impossible in this world, and now the fact that they finally met (and they went on a date today) and Mingyu felt something fluttering in his heart (yes, he admitted it, yes, he thought he had something for her, and he didn’t know why), he thought they had a chance for being together. He thought so, but he still didn’t know what the future would bring.

 

“You remember it?” he found her asking him again.

 

He came back to his senses and smiled awkwardly. “A-ah, I don’t remember it. But I remembered about some girls coming to my class.”

 

Her smile grew wider. “I know right, you must be remembering that one scene. There were many girls coming, not every day, but they often did it.”

 

“And you were part of them back then?” he teased.

 

She laughed. “I stopped doing it in second grade.”

 

“Why?” Mingyu was curious.

 

“Because I started to feel you’re out of my reach. I can’t reach you.”

 

_That reason again._

 

Mingyu needed to know the answer more.

 

“Why did you think you couldn’t reach me?” he asked her.

 

It took two seconds for her to answer. “I don’t know, I never got the chance to talk to you, and you were too famous to be approached. I don’t know. You seem very far.” She ended her answer by giggling.

 

He stared at her. “Do you think I’m far from you now?”

 

“Right now? No. You’re walking beside me.” she joked around. Okay, he knew that she liked to joke, but this time he was serious.

 

“Do you know what that means?” he asked her, ignoring her joke.

 

She blinked. “Err, n-no.”

 

“You can reach me. I’m here next to you.”

 

She widened her eyes, looked totally puzzled. Okay, he needed to not say everything too direct, sometimes she would be puzzled like this. But well, once again, he just tried to be honest to her about his true feelings.

 

She laughed nervously. “O-of course I still can’t reach you.” She said.

 

“Oh.” He stopped walking and reached out his hand. She was puzzled looking at his hand.

 

“W-what are you doing?”

 

“Can you reach my hand?”

 

“Of course, it isn’t far from my reach.” She said, slowly touched the palm of his hand with her fingertips. He held his breath.

 

“So, that means you can reach me,” he said. He slowly held her hand. He looked at her face, she looked more shocked. But he said, showing their intertwined hands, ”oh, you now hold my hand. You can reach me, seriously.” He gave her a wide smile. He was joking and all he got in return was her reddening face. She looked down at her shoes after that, trying to hide her face. But she was still cute though. Oh, God. She slowly released his hand. He didn’t show any reaction for this, instead, they kept walking to her house. 

 

Some seconds of holding her hand were nice. He remembered the time she was dragging him out the restaurant and he felt her cold tiny hand in his.

 

Anyway, he didn’t know that holding her hand for some seconds was so relaxing, and it felt like he got more energy, he felt so energized. He wondered what if it was like if he got the chance to hold it more than seconds.

 

He was thinking too much, not realize that they were already at her house’s front gate.

 

They stood in silence for almost five seconds. Mingyu didn’t want to officially end this date. He tried to look into her eyes, but she avoided it by looking away. Mingyu thought maybe the first date was always this awkward at the end of the day when they were about to apart. He silently hoped it was not only him who did not want this day to end.

 

“U-uh, I think I should go.” He said at last.

 

“Y-yeah, be careful on y-your way home,” she replied.

 

More awkward silence.

 

It wouldn’t end just like this, right?

 

Or it would end just like this?

 

Aish, Mingyu didn’t know what to do.

 

He sighed. The date was already over. Why did he feel unhappy about this? He really wanted to spend more time with her. but with the growing feelings within him, he still couldn’t do it so fast. What if she didn’t like it, and ended up hating him? Of course, he didn’t want that to happen. Anyway, she did try to forget him, and she didn’t even say a single word about her going to like him again. She acted very nice today, like a good old friend. He didn’t blame her to act like that, he liked the fact that she showed the real her to him. But still…

 

Did he come to a dead end? Should he forget his intention to ask her to date him?

 

“Oh right, send me a text if you’ve arrived home safely.” She said out of blue, pulling him back to reality.

 

She curled a smile, that simple smile which could assure him that everything would be okay and he shouldn’t worry. Yeah, they had a long way to go. He smiled brightly.

 

“Okay, I’ll tell you once I arrive at home,” he said, a smile didn’t leave his lips.

 

He walked away and waved his hands. She waved back at him. He couldn’t stop waving at her and she looked like she wasn’t tired of that. He laughed to himself. He made a gesture for her to enter her house. He could see her nodding even though the street lamps didn’t give any lights to him to clearly see her face. Fortunately, he could stop himself from running back to her place and hugging her. That sounded very crazy, indeed.

 

He stopped walking. She was still there, standing in front of the gate. Oh gosh, he needed to ask this one thing before he went home. This really made him feel uneasy. He quickly grabbed his phone and sent her a text.

 

 

_From: 김민규_

_Hey, can I ask you something?_

 

 

_To: 김민규_

_What is it?_

 

Mingyu hesitated a bit, but he typed again.

 

_From: 김민규_

_Would you go on the second date with me…? I mean, do you still want to go on dates with me?_

 

 

She didn’t give her an answer straight away. Mingyu has waited for almost one minute and she didn’t reply anything, still standing there looking down at her phone. Maybe she didn’t like that idea that Mingyu asked her to go on dates again with him? Mingyu cursed himself for being too direct. He shouldn’t ask her that. He already gave up about it and decided to slide his phone to his pocket when he found his phone vibrated.

 

_To: 김민규_

_I'd love to._

 

He held his breath once again and then he had one more text from her.

 

_To: 김민규_

_Now go, Kim Mingyu. You might miss the bus._

 

 

He smiled widely. He looked up and saw her waving her hands, and then went inside her house. Maybe tonight he was the one who would get dreams about her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeon Wonwoo's POV

Look at her.

  
Jeon Wonwoo rolled his eyes as he saw his junior standing in front of an electronic store and she was like talking to herself. He didn’t plan to come late, he was in the area, but he decided to show up to the scene five minutes before 3 pm. It was the first time he would go hunting photos with this junior of his, yet they didn’t get along very well, so this was kind of annoying. He blamed Seung-Cheol for this. Seung-Cheol surely planned this up. It was all seen from what he said on previous days.  


“I want our members to get closer to one another, I will think of some ways,” Seung-Cheol said. He glanced at Wonwoo, giggling. “You too, Wonwoo, you should get closer to her.”  


Wonwoo didn’t need to get closer to her. It was not like they would get along well, anyway.  


“H-hi, Mingyu, h-how are you…?” he hardly heard she said the words. Who was Mingyu? Was this Mingyu an invisible creature? She was all alone, wasn’t she? Wonwoo didn’t get the answer as he walked closer, he saw she messed up her hair in frustration. He sure needed to remind himself that she was a bit weird. One more point, she liked to space out. This thing was what he knew from other people, then he had experienced it himself.   


Well, he shouldn’t judge her like this. Whatever.  


He had reached her and finally, he let some words in an annoyed tone which he couldn’t help it,”What are you doing?”  


She turned around to face him. She hurriedly combed her hair with her fingers.  


“Sunbaenim, you came.” She tried to curl a smile. It was an awkward smile, but it was still pretty. He didn’t give any reaction. Well, just pretend that he didn’t know how to react. Instead, he asked her  


“Do you have any idea in mind about what you will capture today?” He asked her. She blinked in confusion.

  
“Shouldn’t we walk around this area and then find interesting things to capture?” He raised an eyebrow to hear these words.  


“You will randomly capture anything?” he said.  


She shook her hands. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She said. “I used to capture anything interesting.”

  
He snorted. “It sounds like you won’t stick to the theme.”  


She widened her eyes. “Of course, I will stick to the theme, sunbaenim” As he rolled his eyes at her, she looked at him with an annoyed look. Seemed like she hated him, too. Oh great, maybe they hated each other.  


“I’m watching you.” He said. “Follow me.”  


It could be noticed that she didn’t focus. She was zoned out most of the time, she was like thinking about something, she didn’t capture anything for the first twenty minutes. She was just seeing him capturing here and there. He thought it might be hard to capture something with this kind of theme (thanks for making that theme though, Seung-Cheol), and she was still not used to do this. He noticed that every new member in the club has zero experience in photography. Well, they joined the club because they wanted to know more about photography anyways. But he still had no clue what intention of her to join their club.  


She was still in her own world, and then he decided to make her come back to reality.  


“Yah, if you don’t know what you will capture, you can help me. Bring my bag.” He said.  


She turned her head at him. “What?”  


He threw his bag at her. “Bring this.” He said. He could hear her grumbling, but then he said again,”you should help me to make the view clear.”  


He started to capture some parts of the street, but seriously a photo belonged to the theme was hardly found just in 30 minutes. He thought maybe this was not the right place and they should move. He glanced at her. She looked bored and just stared at him who was busy capturing some objects. She even left his bag to him. Through his lenses, he could see her suddenly coming closer. He was about to protest since she was blocking the object he wanted to capture but she cut him off  


“Wait a minute, sunbaenim, you can’t let those sleeves disturb you.”   


_What? Sleeves?_  


He looked down at his hands and let out a sigh. _She makes a big deal out of this._ Without a command, she started to roll up his sleeves. He held his breath for two seconds. 

  
_Well, well, well._  


He could say to feel her fingertips again on his hand was a nice feeling. But well, he couldn’t hope anything more than this.  


“Actually I don’t think these sleeves will disturb my work.” He said, contrary to what he was feeling right now.  


“Oh, yeah?” she glanced at him while busy rolling up the sleeves. “I’ve seen you tried to roll them up many times in twenty minutes.” He didn’t give her any reply.

  
“Hurry up. I’m busy.” He said later.  


She rolled her eyes. “Almost done.”  


“Yah, take some Chupa cups from my bag.”  


He could hear her grumbling again. Maybe it was because he treated her like his assistant and ordered her around many times. She had opened one candy for him and one for herself. He noticed that she took the strawberry flavor, the same flavor she picked a long time ago.  


He hated it if he started to remember things from the past.  


This was so not like him.  


He hated himself for being emotional.  


Some minutes they spent in silence, but he was surely thinking about her. He hid his thoughts by busy capturing objects.  


“Sunbaenim!”  


Wonwoo looked at her, irritated. “What?” he was about capture something and she suddenly called him like this. He looked up at her. She looked uneasy and worried. He furrowed eyebrows in confusion.

  
“I’m thirsty. Can we go to a café over there?” she pointed a café across the street.  


“I bring a water bottle in my bag.” He answered calmly as if it answered her question.  


She frowned. “But I really want patbingsoo, sunbaenim, please?” she said. “I know they serve the best patbingsoo.”   


He raised an eyebrow. “We just walked about an hour, how could be you so thirsty?” he sounded annoyed. “Here, open my bag, you can drink my water.” He pointed his bag with his chin.

  
“But I want patbingsoo, sunbaenim,” She started to whine. “Please sunbaenim, pleaseeeee.” He was shocked to have her whining like a little girl like this. Surely he didn’t know much about her and this was a new side she showed to him today.  


“Why are you so noisy?” he said, irritated. “If you really want patbingsoo, you can go there alone. I wait here.”

  
She was like she was thinking hard. She blinked many times and looked down at her shoes. Her forehead wrinkled. He didn’t know what she was thinking. If she was just thirsty, she would go as soon as Wonwoo let her go, right? It maybe was not about thirst. What was it, then? It took her some seconds to finally say, “O-okay, I’ll just go there.” She replied at last.  


He stared at her without any expression plastered on his face. “Go.”  


“Do you want patbingsoo too, sunbaenim?”  


“Go.”  


“A-alright.”  


She hurriedly placed her camera in her bag, then she just ran leaving Wonwoo alone. Looking at how fast she ran, and it was not to the café she mentioned earlier, he knew she would go somewhere else. Wonwoo let out a loud sigh. Where will she go? At that time, he decided to follow her. She surely ran so fast, he predicted somehow she was good at athletic in school. She stopped in front of an Italian restaurant. He stopped on his tracks. _I_ _talian restaurant? S_ _he will meet somebody?_

  
Wonwoo decided not to follow her inside. It would look like real stalking. He was waiting for her outside and he started to guess who she would meet. To his wish, some minutes later, he saw her walking outside the restaurant with a guy. Wonwoo quickly disguised himself and wore a beanie and glasses he brought in his bag. Fortunately, she didn’t see him and still walking away from the restaurant with the guy. Wonwoo never saw the guy before, the guy was taller than him. Wonwoo wondered who the guy was, but he then was taken aback by the fact that he didn’t know much about her so he didn’t know her friends or people she knew.   


All that he knew that he hated the fact that she held the guy’s hand. He hated it, really.  


Wonwoo kept following them until they stopped walking. He hid but he kept in a distance so he could hear them. Well, at last, he didn’t hear exactly what they were talking about, but he heard some words  


“I like you, Kim Mingyu, from high school days until now.”  


It was quite loud, Wonwoo could hear it, everybody walking near them could hear it.  


_Wait, what? The guy is her crush!?_  


Wonwoo’s expression changed. He was shocked. So she really had someone in her heart already? Wonwoo really hated this situation. He was like going to explode. He was really… how could put it? Mad? Jealous? But he hated the girl, not like he was jealous. Wait, jealous? Him? He shouldn’t be jealous! This was so not him. He tried to control himself as he heard she said again

  
“I t-think, I think I should tell you my feelings, to burn the burden, and after that, I can go trying to f-forget you. I mean, I s-should forget you. I should.”  


 “So, you met me now to tell me your feelings and then you will forget me?” Wonwoo heard that Kim Mingyu guy said.  


 “I hope we don’t meet each other anymore.”  


Wait, this was just confession and she would forget her feelings for that guy?  


So, this was different from what Wonwoo thought?  


That happened so fast then she decided to leave the scene. Wonwoo was a bit panicked as she was about to pass him by and then he secretly captured one moment before he also left. Silently, he followed her leaving that Kim Mingyu guy alone in confusion. Wonwoo also remembered one thing that she couldn’t arrive first at the last place they met as she thought she would find him there still. Wonwoo fastened his pace. Whatever it took, he should arrive first. And with her being drowned to her own thought as she walked fast but wasn’t aware of people around her (and she almost bumped some people), he was positive he could arrive first. He ran, past her, and she didn’t notice him.  


He pretended that he didn’t go anywhere, he had put his beanie and glasses back in his bag anyways, and he pretended that he was busy with his camera as he saw her walking near. She looked zoned out and she looked so sad. She didn’t cry, but you could see her red eyes and nose, and you would thought she had been crying and had wiped out her tears. She almost bumped into some people before she arrived in front of him. He finally knew that she did it unintentionally because it was her habit when she was in deep thought or sad. Oh, dear.  


Their gaze met at last and she didn’t try to explain how her patbingsoo was, since, well, actually he knew she didn’t have one. Wonwoo didn’t ask anything about patbingsoo either. He just sighed.  


“Let’s go. We should move to another place.” He said coldly, walking away.  


She just nodded obediently, taking his bag from his hand and walking beside him.


	13. Chapter 13

“What!? She met a guy and confessed? In front of your nose?”

  
Yoon Jeonghan was the one who was shocked when Wonwoo told him and Seung-Cheol what happened the other day when Wonwoo went hunting photos with that girl. Wonwoo casually ate his dinner and let his friends dumbfounded. Well, he decided to tell this to them since Seung-Cheol kept asking him to tell him what had happened the other day. He was noisy though, so Wonwoo didn’t have any choice. 

“Yeah.” Wonwoo said, sounded not interested,” The guy is her crush since high school.” He even still remembered that guy’s name. Kim Mingyu. Tsk, he didn’t understand why he started to hate that name.

“And you said she just confessed to him and walked away?” Seung-Cheol asked. He went way too interested if they were talking about her. Wonwoo rolled his eyes at his friend.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I heard she said some things like a burden and she wanted to forget her feelings for him.”

Jeonghan took a sip of his drink. “Oh man, I thought she confessed and dated that guy.” He commented. “Thank God she ended up walking away from that guy. But it’s weird though why she confessed after that she would forget him? She should ask whether he likes her back or not.” Wonwoo just shrugged.

“I never expect this before,” Seung-Cheol said, eating his meal slowly. “Well, she doesn’t look like she would do things like that, see? She’s a bit quiet and looks like she’s always daydreaming. You know she always sits in the back alone when we’re having our meeting.”

“I don’t know about her, too. I barely talk to her in every meeting.” Jeonghan added. “I thought Wonwoo can just get closer to her and they will start dating.” He added randomly, chuckled.

“Yah, who’s dating who?” Wonwoo knitted his eyebrows together.

“Of course you and that girl, man,” Seung-Cheol answered the question, patting Wonwoo’s shoulder. Wonwoo got annoyed since Seung-Cheol patted him a bit harder. He grumbled. “No way I will be the one who dates her, right?” he and Jeonghan chuckled. Wonwoo snorted. 

“Why should I date her?” Wonwoo coldly said. He tried to enjoy his meal but somehow his mind wandered to her. He still remembered her sad face that day when she came back after meeting that Kim Mingyu guy. They didn’t talk anything about the _patbingsoo_ , or anything related to that area of the Italian restaurant, instead, they came to a park in the center of the town and captured some people enjoying their evening there. Since they didn’t get so many photos that day, they planned to meet again on Wednesday.

“Because you like her.” It was Jeonghan who answered this.

“I _don’t_ like her.” Wonwoo emphasized the word ‘don’t’. Seung-Cheol and Jeonghan giggled together. Wonwoo hated them if they were annoying like this.

“Oh come on, you always say you don’t like her, but we know you do.” Jeonghan teased.

Seung-Cheol laughed hard. “Yah, he always says he doesn’t like her but we know he looked for her for almost one year,” Wonwoo grumbled. Seung-Cheol then said,” yah, if you don’t like her, you won’t do such a thing.”

Wonwoo hated it if Seung-Cheol started to talk about the past.

“You remember it, Seung-Cheol, when Wonwoo started to wander around the city coming to campus to campus just for looking for her?” Jeonghan enthusiastically told Seung-Cheol, continuing the past story. _Darn it, Yoon Jeonghan._

  
Seung-Cheol laughed hard again. “Of course I remember that!” he clapped like a dolphin. “He’s always gone every time we planned to hang out and when he met us he started to tell us about his searching.” They laughed together, Wonwoo started to hate this situation. Could they just stop teasing?

“That was crazy though, and that was done only by someone who was blinded by love,” Jeonghan said dramatically.

 _Blinded by love?_ Tsk, Jeonghan really used weird words to portray that situation.

“And you know he stopped searching when he gets cold,” Seung-Cheol said again. “Yah, you get cold so often, and it’s always in summer.” He looked at Wonwoo. Wonwoo just kept silent and ate his food.

“That’s one weirder thing though, but that’s our Wonwoo.” Jeonghan smiled proudly like Wonwoo was his son.

“And that girl had seen Wonwoo in cold,” Seung-Cheol added. Wonwoo rolled his eyes at Seung-Cheol.

“Whatever. Let’s not talk about this, shall we?” Wonwoo tried to stop this topic.

“Of course we can’t, this problem is not solved yet!” Seung-Cheol insisted. Wonwoo was confused about why Seung-Cheol got so enthusiastic about this. Seung-Cheol said, ”I’ve planned everything so you just got closer to her. This is your chance, Jeon Wonwoo. You can’t let this chance go.” Wonwoo exhaled heavily. Why did Seung-Cheol say this to him?

“Remember, the same chance won’t come again if you let go of this one.” Jeonghan chuckled. Seung-Cheol and Jeonghan surely planned all of this.

Wonwoo groaned. “What do you guys want me to do?”

“Be nice to her, talk to her in a friendly way.” Seung-Cheol gave him advice. Wonwoo mocked him, but Seung-Cheol ignored this. “Be a friendly person, Wonwoo. Make her comfortable around you. And then, she will fall in love with you, too.” Wonwoo snorted at those words.

“Eyy, it would be hard, Seung-Cheol, you know this Jeon Wonwoo is a cold person and he doesn’t get along so fast with people.” Jeonghan pulled them back to reality.

  
“But, he should change that attitude, Jeonghan. That girl already thought that Wonwoo hates her. She said it herself to me.” Seung-Cheol said, glancing at Wonwoo. Wonwoo didn’t care about this one. He knew that girl already hated him. He was always aware of her stare to him. He didn’t know how to fix that though. He couldn’t change the situation.

“What did she say?” Jeonghan sounded seriously interested.

“She asked whether she could work alone, or change partner.” Seung-Cheol shook his head. “She said she did a mistake to Wonwoo so that she thought she couldn’t work with him, since, yeah, he hates her,” he explained. “Yah, what did she do to you?’ he looked at Wonwoo.

“She bumped into me and dropped my coffee,” Wonwoo answered simply.

“I bet you stared at her coldly,” Seung-Cheol said, Wonwoo didn’t answer that question. _Wasn’t it obvious?_

 “Eyyy, Wonwoo, you should look at her lovingly, show your affection,” Jeonghan told Wonwoo. Wonwoo rolled his eyes.

  
“I’ve told you I don’t like her.” Wonwoo stubbornly said. “Anyway, why should I show affection if she just bumped into me and dirtied my sweater?” Jeonghan sighed heavily to hear the answer. 

“I don’t know what to say again. Seung-Cheol, you tell him!” he said to Seung-Cheol frustratingly. Seung-Cheol sighed as well. Wonwoo didn’t care.

Seung-Cheol said. “At last, you should tell her your feeling, Wonwoo. She should know about this, you should tell her. Then she will like you, too.”

“I don’t need her to like me,” Wonwoo replied without thinking twice. 

“You will regret saying those words if she starts dating that guy from her high school days.” Jeonghan blurted out.

“Jeonghan’s right, Wonwoo.” Seung-Cheol patted Wonwoo’s back. “But, it’s all up to you. We’ve told you what you should do, it’s okay if you don’t want to follow our advice.” He shrugged. 

“Just be honest to yourself, you want her or not.” Jeonghan ate his meal.

_Speaking about wanting her or not…_

Wonwoo looked at his reflection on his glass. Some old scenes from that day were repeated on his mind like an old film.

Yes, of course, he couldn’t forget that day.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeon Wonwoo's POV
> 
> -Summer, 2016-

_One thing Wonwoo always did during summer vacation was doing a part-time job and this year, he got a part-time job in a public library. Most of the part-timers were also students, but no one came from the same university as him. Well, actually, he didn’t know many people at his university and he didn’t care if they worked here as well. Well, he just didn’t care about other people. But, the thing he cared about was the number of part-time workers in every day he worked. There were always seven part-timers came in a day, while permanent workers, who mostly consisted of elderly, came eight or nine. The library was quite big and it was near the center of the city. Wonwoo got shifts mostly from morning until afternoon, and he barely got shifts until evening. Anyway, he liked to arrange books based on their number on the labels, putting them back on shelves. He liked to take books from table to table which have been read by visitors. Sometimes he secretly read some books he had interested in, before arranging them again in the shelves. He always liked the fact that he freely could read all the books in the library. He always got new adventures every day, as if he could travel around the world, but actually, he was just in the library, sitting and reading._

  
_That was really fascinating, wasn’t it?_   
  


_Today he was doing the same routine. He was arranging some books into shelves. He glanced at the wall clock. It was almost 10 am. Well, his shift would be ended in two hours. He was thinking about what meals he should eat for lunch as suddenly he felt his head dizzy. He blinked many times. Oh, maybe this was because he didn’t eat much for his breakfast this morning. Alright, he should eat as much as possible during lunch._

  
_But hey, it was not getting better in some more minutes._   
  


_He was burning up, his head got dizzier. His vision got blurry, he couldn’t even read the title of the book he was holding. What happened to him? He slowly tried to bend down, touching the sides of his head. He could handle this. Yes, he could. But why did the pain get worse? If he collapsed here, he bet nobody would find him. He was at the very corner shelf, and it was hard to find._   
  


_Wait, nobody would find him?_   
  


_“Oh my goodness, are you okay!?”_   
  


_He heard that panicked voice came closer. He couldn’t know whose voice it was, but that owner of that voice checked his body temperature by touching his forehead._   
  


_“You’re burning up! Oh my God…”_   
  


_He couldn’t say anything, his head was so dizzy._   
  


_“Yah, are you okay? Oh my God, what’s his name?” the voice still sounded panicked. “Ah… Aish, I forgot his name!” Wonwoo still heard the owner of the voice argued alone, but he couldn’t even open his mouth to say his name. “A-h, alright, Beanie ssi, do you hear me?”_   
  


_Beanie ssi?_   
  


_Oh gosh._   
  


_This person even changed his name after looking at beanie he was wearing. But he couldn’t protest about it._   
  


_The person talked again to Wonwoo. “Can you walk? I’m going to bring you to the clinic, alright? Hang on.”_   
  


_Wonwoo felt he was being lifted up and supported. He hung his hand around the person’s shoulder. Wonwoo could feel the person had a tiny body and shorter height than him, then he realized that the person was a girl._

 

 

_Wonwoo opened his eyes. His head still hurt a bit, his vision was still blurry but he tried to wake up. Something fell to his lap, and it was a little wet towel. He touched his own forehead. He had no fever anymore. He blinked many times. He was all alone in this room, and he didn’t know where he was. The white curtain, everything was white, this place was like a clinic’s room. Hey, was he really here? He previously heard someone saying that he would be taken to a clinic._

  
_Right._   
  


_Where was that person?_   
  


_Wonwoo looked around and found his beanie, jacket, and bag on a chair next to his bed. He raised an eyebrow. He didn’t remember he took his bag. Maybe that person took it for him. Really, he didn’t know who that person was and he really had no clue. Even if it was his co-worker, he would never know who that person was. He didn’t care about other people, remember? But he was curious about this person. Wonwoo put his jacket on as he was feeling much better without any fever. He put on his beanie, too. He was about to leave the room when the door open_   
  


_He was facing a girl who was wearing a plaid shirt that looked too big for her and she was bringing a plastic bag. Her eyes grew wider as she looked at Wonwoo intently._   
  


_“You’re awake!” she exclaimed._   
  


_He noticed a bright tone in her words like she was happy about the fact. Wonwoo didn’t say anything and just kept staring at her. This was maybe rude, but he just tried to remember her. But well, it was no use, since he didn’t know who she was._   
  


_“You… you took me here?” he asked her at last._   
  


_She nodded. “Yes.”_   
  


_“I’m sorry but I don’t know you.”_   
  


_“Ah.” The girl was like she understood about this. “I’m new in the library.” She introduced herself without even mentioning her name. “I just worked for three days. I don’t know many people in the library either, but I notice we share the same shifts in the last three days.”_   
  


_Wonwoo really didn’t know about this, and about her. “Really?”_   
  


_“Yes. Ah, I’m sorry.” She walked to him out of blue, placing her palm to his forehead. He widened his eyes in surprise. He wanted to let out a protest but he was feeling the warmth of her hand on his cold forehead. He was frozen for some seconds. He usually didn’t notice things like this, but then he realized how she needed to tiptoe a bit to reach his height. She was just about his chest, not really tall and not really short. She got bangs, and her hair was just above her shoulder and it was straight and thick. Somehow she looked like a mannequin with that haircut. He smelled her fragrance, it smelled like fresh flowers. He looked at her, looking straight at her face. She focused looking on his forehead. Their gaze didn’t meet until she stopped tiptoeing and took her hand away._   
  


_“Thank God, the fever is gone.” She said, at last, and Wonwoo could breathe normally again. “You’ve been sleeping all day long and you got very high fever.”_   
  


_“All day long?” he checked the wall-clock and well it was almost 6 in the evening. Did he really sleep all day long because of the fever? He tended to get fever in summer but he never experienced it when he was working._   
  


_He saw her nodding. “Are you feeling okay, now, Beanie ssi?” she asked. Looking at his expression, she quickly added. “I’m sorry I forgot your name.”_   
  


_“It’s Jeon Won—“_   
  


_“Ah, Doctor Hong!” Someone was walking into the room. She greeted the young man with a white coat with a huge smile. Wonwoo looked at the young doctor who was smiling friendly at them. He then glanced at the doctor’s name tag. Hong Jisoo._   
  


_“How’s your feeling?” the doctor asked Wonwoo._   
  


_“I’m feeling better,” Wonwoo answered simply._   
  


_“Thank you so much for your help, doctor.” The girl bowed and smiled. Wonwoo awkwardly bowed as well._   
  


_“You’re very welcome.” The doctor just smiled.  “Anyway, have you taken your medicines?” he asked Wonwoo. Wonwoo blinked in confusion. He didn’t know anything about medicines, he just woke up. But then the girl answered it for him._   
  


_“I’ve just taken his medicines from the pharmacy, Doctor.” She replied, and showed the plastic bag she was bringing. “And we are about to leave to have dinner before he could take his medicines.”_   
  


_Wait, leave for dinner? She didn’t say that earlier. Did it mean they really would have dinner together?_   
  


_The doctor nodded and smiled again, saying some words to Wonwoo —about fever in summer which caused by viruses and it probably happened because Wonwoo stayed out late or got minimal amounts of sleep and told Wonwoo to drink plenty of fluids— before exited himself. She bowed once again and said thanks to the doctor. Wonwoo was dumbfounded for her action but he didn’t say anything. She turned around to look at him again. It seemed like she understood what he was thinking, she then said_

  
_“It’s dinner time already. Shall we have something to eat? You should eat something before you take your medicines.”_   
  


_They went to the nearest restaurant. He didn’t notice this earlier but the clinic was not far from the library and he sometimes walked pass this restaurant but he never came in. They were now waiting for their meals. It was kind of awkward, really. She didn’t say anything, neither did him. They were sitting together like this like complete strangers. Well, they really were. Sometimes it was hard for him to talk to someone he barely knew of since he always thought he didn’t need to talk to them. But now it was different. The person in front of him now was the person who had helped him today. It was no way he wouldn’t say anything to her, right? He should say something, right?_   
  


_He didn’t know how to say it, how to express his gratefulness for her help, but then he remembered some Chupa cups he put in his jacket’s pocket earlier this morning. He took the candies and stretched them out in front of her. She looked confused at first._   
  


_“Thank you, for your help today,” Wonwoo said. He knew it didn’t completely sound grateful, maybe it sounded very cold, but that was really what he wanted to say. Anyway, expressing his gratefulness by giving her candies might be not a good idea. Well, at least he tried something._   
  


_She was taken aback listening to what he said. But then she smiled. It was a simple smile, but it was pretty. She nodded._   
  


_“You’re very welcome.” She replied. “I think I will have the strawberry flavor.” She took one candy from his hand. She giggled. “Thanks.”_   
  


_Not usually being that friendly, but during eating, he succeeded to talk about some things. They talked a bit about the weather, the food, and the library. But he didn’t have her saying his name right and he had no idea about her name. She always called him Beanie ssi during the talk and he didn't properly address her. That was a weird situation, they were actually complete strangers. He didn’t know, should he mention his name again or not, but he somehow enjoyed the sight in front of him, where she was eating and talking to him casually._

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

“The thing I always wonder, why did she forget about Wonwoo?”

  
That question asked by Jeonghan was also the question Wonwoo always repeated on his mind.   


Why, why did she forget him?  


Why did she forget him easily? He seemed like he couldn’t forget her forever.  


He thought when they met again during the first time meeting of new members this semester, he could talk to her again as she would notice him. But no. She didn’t look like she knew him. She paid attention to the meeting, to all the older members said, especially Seung-Cheol as the leader, but she didn’t give any sign when her gaze met Wonwoo’s. When Wonwoo introduced himself, she just paid attention the same when she paid attention to Seung-Cheol and Jeonghan. Those gazes, they really reflected that it was all new to her, the club, the members, the old members, and Wonwoo. Somehow, it hurt him. That was maybe, because of that reason, he treated her coldly.  


“It’s not like she finds someone’s falling sick like Wonwoo every day or does she?” Seung-Cheol also wondered.  


“Did she do volunteer work at Red Cross before? Or hospital?” Jeonghan mentioned some possibilities.  


Right. Wonwoo always wondered about that, too.   


Anyway, he didn’t know why he was feeling sad over that fact, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Perhaps he felt that he didn’t properly thank her for her help at that time since he didn’t meet her again after that day. She disappeared from his life completely without any trace. She stopped coming to the public library, she suddenly stopped working. It was weird since she mentioned that she was new. That was why Wonwoo looked for her in every university in town, and finally, he found her in his campus, working as a part-timer in faculty of Humanities’ library. He then looked for information and found out that she was a student in the department of Asian History. Fate seem tricked him, how could be she so close to him but he couldn’t find her immediately? It took him almost a year. Anyway, the faculty of Humanities was not that far from Wonwoo’s department. He felt stupid he couldn’t find her so fast even though they were so close.  


Then, he had found her, what would he do? Thanking her again for her help that day?  


How could he thank her again if she herself didn’t even remember him?  


Maybe she had forgotten that she had helped him that day?  


Did she really not remember about him? Not even a single thing about him?  


What did he expect, they just met once, how could she remember him after almost a year passed?  


Why did he become the only one who remembered about that memory?  


_That’s not fair._  


“If she always finds sick people like Wonwoo, it means that she forgets about him because he’s not so important.” Jeonghan’s laugh made Wonwoo come back to reality.  


Wonwoo glared at Jeonghan. _Darn it._  


Seung-Cheol tried to hold his laugh. He rose from his seat after taking his bag. “Come on, kids, we should go. Wonwoo, don’t forget to tell her you two should present some of your photos this week.”

  
“Huh? Presenting?” Wonwoo got confused.  


“Aigoo, at least you should listen when your leader told you his plan.” Jeonghan shook his head in disbelief and finished his meal. He also rose from his seat. Seung-Cheol just laughed to hear this.  


“Presenting photos means you should look for more photos. More photos mean more huntings, more huntings mean more dates.” He laughed evilly. “Oh, why am I so genius?” he hi-fived with Jeonghan. These two guys looked so happy over the plan.  


Jeonghan then said to Wonwoo. “Shouldn’t you be excited, Jeon Wonwoo? You will have more dates with that girl.”  


Wonwoo just grumbled in silence and rose from his seat.


	16. Chapter 16

“You don’t bring more battery? And memory card?”

  
“No.”  
  


“I’ve told you, you should bring those.”  
  


“I’m sorry, I forgot.”  
  


“Are you really interested in photography? You seem not serious doing this.”  
  


Wonwoo knew he was too much. They argued more today, and it was mostly about simple things. He didn’t know why he was irritated of everything she did, not in a bad way, he didn’t know why he was doing this. He clearly understood that by doing this, she would hate him even more. Nah, looked at her now. She exhaled heavily, and her expression, it really reflected that she was holding her anger. He just stared at her, and the stare would always look cold for her.  
  


“Of course I’m seriously doing this, sunbaenim.” She said, not an angry tone, but she almost gritted her teeth. “I even used my savings to buy this camera.” She pointed the camera in her hand with her chin.  
  


He didn’t change his flat expression. “Oh yeah?” he raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem so to me.”  
  


This time she widened her eyes in shock. He knew he was too much, he knew. She grumbled. “I wish I can get another partner, or not having one.” She looked away. He didn’t get hurt hearing this kind of comment since he had expected one. He had heard the same thing from Seung-Cheol anyways.  
  


“I heard clearly what you said.” He said coldly. “Go ask the leader if you want to change partner.” He pointed to a direction, telling her to go.  
  


She exhaled heavily once again and muttered something. Of course, she couldn’t change partner, she had no choice since Wonwoo was the only one who hasn’t partnered up with anyone. Well, it was all planned by Seung-Cheol, so she still couldn’t get to change partner. Wonwoo sighed. Seung-Cheol has prepared all of this, what if Wonwoo still couldn’t get along with her? He himself made it worse today, she seemed to hate him more. Contrary to what Seung-Cheol and Jeonghan advised him, Wonwoo just couldn’t make her comfortable around him, saying those nice words to her. He really couldn’t be that friendly.  
  


“Yah, capture something before your battery dies.” He told her. She unwillingly looked at him. He stared at her. “Use this tripod. I’m going to take some shots from there.”  
  


He heard her sighing while still looked annoyed. Whatever he couldn’t change it. He slowly walked to the other side of the street, trying to capture something. They were at a crowded street in the city, so many people during this hour passed by the street. There must be something interesting here, which people weren’t really aware of. Anyway, they had been walking around the city for hours and he planned to end it in after they got more couple of photos here. He realized she was tired, and she was annoyed because of him getting mad at her. Of course, he didn’t plan to do that, but he couldn’t help it.  
  


He was already far from her. He was looking at her capturing some scenes. He didn’t know how this kind of feeling worked, but he was feeling calm looking at her like this. This was contrary to what he said to her.  
  


Oh, really, he needed to concentrate, he needed to capture something.  
  


He was busy capturing some moments of elderly waiting at the bus stop as some noisy sounds caught his attention. He was seeing the moment through his lenses, there were two people arguing in front of a restaurant. The older one looked like the boss, and the younger one looked like his employee. Wonwoo didn’t understand what had happened, but looking at some boxes of cakes fallen on the ground, seemed like the younger one got scolded because of that. The older one looked so angry, he even came inside the restaurant and came out only to throw bag to the younger guy. This was interesting and rarely seen. This was really good. Wonwoo captured the moment. He didn’t realize that he was close enough with the scene he took, not realizing that the younger guy earlier knew what he was doing.  
  


“Wait, what are you doing!?” the younger guy shouted at him.  
  


Wonwoo was surprised and put down his camera. _Is he talking to me?_ Wonwoo was late to realize that he just captured a moment when someone was getting fired, a moment that everyone would want to forget. The younger guy who looked like American actor walked fast to Wonwoo, with anger written all over his face. Wonwoo kind of expected what would happen, as the guy said  
  


“Delete what you just capture! Quickly!!”

  
O-oh.  
  


Of course, he wouldn’t delete it, right? It was the precious photo he could take which fit the theme. He didn’t want to delete it.  
  


But of course, the American actor pastry guy wouldn’t understand even if he tried to explain it.  
  


O-oh.  
  


Wonwoo had no choice.  
  


Wonwoo panicked and put his camera inside his bag, quickly turning around, and asked his legs to save him. He was still running as he saw her on the other side of the street looking at him through her camera’s lenses. He looked back and still found the younger guy running to catch him. O-oh, this was not good. He tried to run faster, even he almost bumped into some people, and almost dropped his bag where his precious camera was inside.  
  


“Come on, we have to run!” Wonwoo said when he had reached her. He was out of breath.  
  


“What?” she looked confused.  
  


He looked back and became more panicked. The pastry guy was coming closer. “Come on! I don’t have time to explain!” he told her.  
  


That happened so fast that before she properly took the tripod with her, Wonwoo grabbed her hand and ran. He could hear voices from the back shouting ‘Yah, delete that photo!!’ many times, and also ‘Stooop! I want you to delete that embarrassing photo!!’, which were ignored by both Wonwoo and her. Then, they turned and hid in an alley. He was busy peeking, checking if the guy was still after them or not, and also tried to breathe normally. Heck, it seemed like they had run very far, it was really tiring.  
  


“What just happened? Why was he after us? I mean, after you.” He found her asking.  
  


He answered without looking at her, he was still busy checking. “I took a photo when he was getting fired by his boss, and he realized I captured the moment, but it was one moment we rarely see, how could I delete it?”  
  


“So, you want to keep it?”  
  


“Of course.”  
  


“That’s why you ran?”  
  


“Yeah.”  
  


“But why you tagged me along? I didn’t do anything.”  
  


“Huh?” he turned around to see her. She just looked at him without saying anything more, but in some seconds she burst out into laughter. He blinked many times, had no idea why she was like that. He tried to shush her. “Don’t laugh! He could find us.” He whispered. She didn’t care and kept laughing. “Why are you laughing?”  
  


She tried to hold her laughter and explained, “I never see you having any expression except cold expression, and when you ran earlier, you looked panicked and it looked so funny when you ran.” She laughed again.  
  


_What? Did she just make fun of me?_   
  


“What do you mean?” he didn’t sound he was glad about this.  
  


“Look, even your hand is colder than ice,” she said again, still laughing, she showed his hand in hers. “You must be freaking scared, sunbaenim. You look like a scared cat.”  
  


“WHAT?” he shouted, irritated, but it didn’t stop her from laughing. “Did you just call me a cat?”  
  


She ignored his words, and added, “I’ve captured it, anyway, and that will be so funny.” He widened his eyes in shock. _What did she just say?_  
  


“Delete that now,” he ordered her an annoyed tone. And what did she do? She just stuck her tongue at him. What an annoying girl. “DE-LE-TE THAT NOW.” he emphasized every syllable.

  
She didn’t look scared anymore if she looked at his cold expression. Instead, she said, “Aigoo, what to do? My battery just died, it’s very unfortunate.” She replied in victory.  
  


“What?” _Darn it._  
  


 “Oh, really, this is the first time I laughed during this tough day!” she beamed.   
  


Wonwoo grumbled in silence but silently looking down at their hands. Their hands intertwined together, still. He couldn’t deny the electric feeling he got once he realized this. She was still laughing, recalling the moment she saw earlier, but not release her hand from his. He hoped she forgot about the fact they were still holding hands. This was the first time for him to hold someone’s hand like this, and it was hers. Their hands fit each other, oh my goodness, how could he ask for more?  
  


“I’m going to show that glorious photo for the exhibition.” She said.  
  


“NO. I won’t let you.”  
  


“That photo fits the theme! It’s not common to see a photographer being hunted. You can’t say no~”  
  


“YAH!”  
  


She laughed again. O-oh, his heart beat so fast under his chest. 


	17. Chapter 17

That day was really the time the ice between them was broken. That day changed everything. She seemed to be comfortable around Wonwoo now, she joked a lot, mostly teasing him about what happened that day. From what he saw after getting closer to her, she was not that quiet. She would talk much actually, and joked around a lot. Lately, he also didn’t see her daydreaming and spacing out. They spent many times to talk, and that made them get along very well. He was very glad over this change between them, but he didn’t let her know. He kept cold expression on his face every time she teased him about the ‘glorious’ day, but surprisingly it didn’t make her stop teasing him. It was annoying anyway, but he enjoyed it. He fully realized that they got closer and closer. It was also seen in their presentation to the club members. Even Seung-Cheol was amazed to see their teamwork.

  
“Wow, Jeon Wonwoo, you really followed my advice? You two seem comfortable around each other.” Seung-Cheol whispered after the presentation was over. “You even smiled a lot. Wow, I can see her make a big impact on you.” Wonwoo just didn’t answer that statement.  


“You really made a progress, Wonwoo. This is great!” Jeonghan also whispered. “Keep it up! Now I can expect any dating news from you, right?” he chuckled.  


Dating? Wait, it seemed very far from reality. He still needed time to know her more even though he already liked everything about her.  


Wait, he liked what?  


Anyway, they spent more time on hunting photos, which mean going to many places together. They didn’t only spend their time to capture photos, but also to do something fun. They even went to cinemas to see movies. He now knew that she liked horror movies even though she was scared to death if the ghosts appeared. He also knew that she liked sweet popcorn, not a salty one. Anyway, after the ending of movies, she always went to the very back row after everyone left, only to capture the scene.  


“What do you want to shoot?” he asked her.  


“An empty theater.” She replied as she still focused to capture the scene. “Empty theater always looks cool for me.”  


“Looks like an abandoned one if it’s empty.”  


She nodded. “Imagine a movie no one will watch. Of course, this theater will be empty. And that’s what I always imagine.”  


“Why do you think of that?”  


“Just because, I barely see it.” She giggled.  


He admitted it, she made him look at the world in a different way. Everything was beautiful and there were always many things to capture, even a simple one. They even exchanged to take photos of each other when they had nothing to capture. Even for this, she didn’t know the effects she gave as he saw her smiling through the camera lenses. Her smiles were beautiful and made him weak.  


“Sunbaenim, you won’t submit those photos of me for the exhibition, right?” she joked around that day when they went to a park and had ice cream. He smirked.  


“Of course, not.”  


_I will keep them to myself._  


“Good, because I don’t want people to see my ugly smile and poses.” She laughed.  


_You just don’t realize how beautiful your smiles are._  


He changed the topic. “Have you decided photos you will submit for the exhibition?”  


“Some, I’ve picked some, but I’m not sure.” She answered. “What about you?”  


“I haven’t.” he honestly answered, but had one photo in mind.  


“I haven’t seen all of your photos, sunbaenim, but they must be great. You can pick any of them, but make sure they’re not my photos.” She laughed again.  


They had done so many things in almost one month and now it was near to the exhibition day. All the club members worked hard to prepare the exhibition which finally held again after the club hiatus. It was also a big moment for Wonwoo, Seung-Cheol and also Jeonghan since they used to do it in their freshman year, when they didn’t take a big part of the exhibitions at that time, but now they had a big role in this year exhibition since they were the seniors. They finally felt the feeling of their seniors at that time, the responsibilities, and everything. Wonwoo couldn’t deny it made him nervous. But he was positive they could make the exhibition successful.  


D-day has come. The exhibition was finally open. They had promoted it well to all faculties in the university and also in other universities. Many people started to come to the hall. Wonwoo silently kept an eye to the front door. Maybe many more people would come in some more hours, he should wait and see. The visitors started to walk around the hall, looking at the photos one by one. Well, he saw some people stopped to look at his photo. Ah, that photo, that was one of the best photos he could capture. He was wondering if she liked it or not as he heard someone calling him. He turned around only to see her walking up to him, looking upset. Hey, what happened?  


“Sunbaenim, we need to talk.” She said as she reached him.  


“About what?” he asked. He was happy when he thought about her and then she appeared in front of him just like this. Of course, it was not seen on his face.  


She suddenly pointed at his photo for the exhibition. “How could you get that photo?”  


His mood changed drastically. “What?”  


“I ask you, where you got that photo, sunbaenim?” she looked clearly upset. “I don’t know that was the photo you submitted for this exhibition.”  


He rolled his eyes. “Is this a problem?”  


“If I knew earlier you would submit that photo, I… I won’t let you do that.” Her voice was shaking.  


He stared at her. “Why? You told me it’s up to me. You didn’t even see the photos I took, yet now you protested about the photo I picked for this exhibition?”  


She shook her head. “It’s not about that, sunbaenim. It meant you following me that day?”  


He was dumbfounded, finally, they talked about this. They never talked about what happened about that day, like they had forgotten it completely and that day never existed. He thought it was okay to pick that photo for this exhibition. That was one of his photos that fit the theme, yet it was rarely seen. Heck, he didn’t think that this would be a problem for her. He thought that things related to her first love wouldn’t make her hurt again. But now, seeing how hurtful and frustrated she was, he was sure her first love still lingered in her head.  


And Wonwoo hated that fact.  


“I’ve said to you I’m watching you. I followed you to whatever café you mentioned, the one you wanted to go to, you said you’re thirsty. But see? You went to an Italian restaurant and met a guy.”

  
She looked flustered. “B-but…”  


“You lied to me, didn’t you?” he shot. He didn’t care what she would think of him, but they were already talking about this topic.  


“B-but, I didn’t go for a very long time.” She gave him a reasonable reason.  


He coldly responded. “Oh yeah? But you supposed to work with me, not going on a date with a guy.”  


She looked more flustered and started to stutter. “I-I’ve promised to meet him that day too, sunbaenim. I couldn’t help it.”  


“Okay, okay, I got it.” He sighed. He didn’t want them to argue over this matter again. They argued like this around many people coming to the exhibition which meant it was not a good thing to be seen.  


“But again, why did you pick that photo? It’s so embarrassing.”  


_She seems doesn’t want to let go of that topic, does she?_  


“So it’s a big deal for you?”   


“Of course! What if he comes and sees it?” she shot.  


“You invite him to come here? Great, he can see what he has done to you that day. He had made you cry.” He would sound clearly jealous and disturbed, but whatever.  


She looked shocked to hear this from him. “That’s not what I mean. He didn’t do anything bad to me, sunbaenim! He never did. It was just… it was just me.”  


“What do you mean?” Oh, he hated it if she started to make an expression like that, she looked very blue.   


“I—“  


She was about to say something to her as they realized someone just approached them. She looked even shocked and pale. Wonwoo widened his eyes. This guy…  


“Hi.” A tall guy greeted her, smiling.  


“M-Mingyu… w-what are y-you d-doing h-here?”   


_He’s her first love, her crush from high school days._

  
O-oh, no, he was really here.

  
The tall guy named Kim Mingyu just smiled widely at her, as if it answered her question. Like she was totally puzzled, it seemed like she didn’t expect that guy to come. _Then how could he come here?_ Wonwoo didn’t understand.

  
She looked even disturbed. “D-did y-you see the photo?”

  
That Kim Mingyu guy then nodded. “I did.” He replied simply. She still looked shocked. But then the guy said, “I come to see you though, not to see the photo.”   


Most girls would show different expression if their crush said this to them. That worked for her too. She got her cheek to redden and from this Wonwoo could conclude that she was still in love with the guy.  


Seriously, why should he see this kind of scene in front of his eyes?  


It surely hurt.  


Seriously, like something just punched his heart.  


“I-I…” he heard her trying to give the guy an answer. But that Kim Mingyu guy suddenly grabbed her hand, which made Wonwoo widened his eyes in shock.  


“Let’s have some coffee.”  


She looked even shocked, and she looked confused about what to say to Wonwoo. Wonwoo didn’t hide his expression this time. He surely looked annoyed, but that Kim Mingyu guy didn’t understand and just gave him a slight smile and bowed a little before later dragged her outside the hall.  


“I-I’m sorry, sunbaenim. I’ll be back soon.” She looked back to Wonwoo and bowed apologetically.  


_No, don’t go._  


_Please._  


_Please stay._  


Those words didn’t even escape his mouth.  


Stupid.  


He cursed himself.   


Oh, why should that guy come to ruin everything? Why?  


“Who’s that guy with her? Is he her crush?” Seung-Cheol came out of nowhere to pat Wonwoo on the shoulder. He was looking at the exit door where she and her crush just went outside.  


Jeonghan was here too, seeing the same scene, and he commented, “Seriously, that’s her crush? He looks seriously good looking.” Wonwoo didn’t give him responds this time, he was trying so hard to cure his heart. But Seung-Cheol was like rubbing salt to his wound by saying  


“I don’t want to say this, but this might happen, the thing that I always imagine,” Seung-Cheol said, “there’s a chance that she and that guy will date since the guy suddenly comes and sees her here.”   


_No, I don’t want to hear that._  


Jeonghan patted Wonwoo’s back. “If you don’t go confess and win her heart, then she will definitely date that guy.”  


Wonwoo closed his eyes.   


_No. No, that can’t happen._  


_No._


	18. Chapter 18

“M-Mingyu, this is Wonwoo sunbaenim, my senior in the photography club.”

  
Wonwoo realized he barely had her mention his name properly like this. She always called him ‘sunbaenim’ without putting his name before it. He liked the way she mentioned his name.   
  


Hey, that was not the big problem right now.  
  


Oh, right.  
  


That Kim Mingyu guy smiled brightly at Wonwoo and Wonwoo didn’t understand why. Wonwoo already hated this kid and now the fact that he suddenly came to this exhibition made Wonwoo hated him even more. But this Kim Mingyu seemed like he didn’t understand glare Wonwoo gave him. He kept smiling brightly, and he stared at her many times. Geez, Wonwoo really wanted to kick him out of here.  
  


_Tsk, why should she introduce him to me?_   
  


Wonwoo really hated this idea.  
  


“Hello.” That Kim Mingyu guy bowed to Wonwoo. “I’m Kim Mingyu.”  
  


Wonwoo just bowed a little, plastering a cold expression on his face. “Jeon Wonwoo.” He replied without any interest to introduce himself more.  
  


“Oh, Jeon Wonwoo? You must be the one who took that photo.” That Kim Mingyu guy pointed to Wonwoo’s photo for this exhibition.  
  


Wonwoo just nodded and said. “Yeah.” Actually, he wondered how this guy pointed that out. He glanced at her. Perhaps she had told this guy about the photo before, to avoid misunderstanding. And perhaps that was why that guy wasn’t even bothered about it. Anyways, she didn’t look that upset anymore, but she looked nervous. It was all seen from her eyes, they were glued to that Kim Mingyu guy. Wonwoo hated this kind of scene.  
  


“I wonder how you took that photo. It is really good.” That Kim Mingyu guy said. Wonwoo raised an eyebrow. _This guy doesn’t even ask why I took that photo?_ It was weird since that guy was one of the characters in the photo. Didn’t he give any comment about that fact? If they started to talk about this matter then Wonwoo would start to bombard him with questions why he made her crying that day.

  
“Just happened to capture it that way,” Wonwoo replied coldly. He was about to open his mouth to ask but she coughed.  
  


“Should we see the other photos?” she cut them off.  
  


“Sure. That will be very fun!” That Kim Mingyu guy beamed.   
  


As they walked around the hall, she explained each photo of the exhibition for that Kim Mingyu guy. Wonwoo just walked behind them, watching everything. He could see her expression, she looked calm and a bit happy, and meanwhile, that crush of hers looked at her in awe. Oh, seriously, was that guy attracted to her as well? Why did he look at her like that?      
  


That Mingyu guy just stayed in the hall for one and half hour. At last, she and the guy walked to the exit door and stopped there for some moment. He talked some things to her (Wonwoo couldn’t catch what they were talking about) while typing something on his phone, then he waved at her and left. She turned around after he was gone only to face an upset Wonwoo. Her little smile was gone.  
  


“W-what?” she looked puzzled.  
  


Wonwoo knitted his brows together. “Why was he here? Are you guys dating or what?” he shot. Asking this kind of question was very dangerous. What if she said yes? It would be a death of him. He held his breath, waiting for her answer.  
  


She looked blushed a bit but then she replied. “N-no, sunbaenim.”  
  


He tried to control his expression. He sure felt glad she and that guy were not dating. “But, you don’t want him to see that photo?” He didn’t care if she thought that he was annoying, he seriously didn’t care. They were still not over in talking about how he captured that moment which she really wanted to forget. He thought that was not a good idea to remind her what they had been arguing two hours ago. Bringing back the topic made her calm expression changed into a stiff one, like that Kim Mingyu guy never came here in the first place. But really, the reason for all that upset expression was that guy, right? Why should she plaster that expression again?

 

“I’ve explained to him what happened, and you were the one who captured the photo.” She finally replied. “Even if I don’t want him to see it, he already saw it before.” She slightly let out a small sigh. Wonwoo raised an eyebrow. She did worry about something.  
  


“What did he say?” he asked.  
  


“Huh?” she looked up at him.  
  


He sighed. “What did he say to you? Why did he come here?”  
  


She sighed again. “It’s a long story, sunbaenim, but our friend told him about this exhibition and that I was here.”  
  


“He doesn’t look like a dude who goes crazy about photography though.” He commented.  
  


“Yes, you’re right. He has zero interest in photography.” She shrugged.  
  


“He must be coming not to see the exhibition.” He added.  
  


She blinked. “Huh?”  
  


“That’s all seen from him, all he could stare at was you.” Wonwoo didn’t realize those words escaped his mouth, but she gave reaction to those words. She blushed again slightly. He cursed himself why he said that.  
  


“Sunbae, can I ask a piece of advice from you?” she suddenly asked.  
  


“Huh?” he blinked in confusion. “About what?”  
  


“Y-you know, I don’t have experience in this kind of thing.” She said, scratching the back of her head. “But m-maybe you do since I remember you mentioned about your crush earlier, I mean, when we went to a coffee shop after I dirtied your sweater.”  
  


_What?_   
  


He wanted to laugh to himself since she bought what he said that day, and she still remembered it. The date he mentioned that day, there was no such thing. He knew she was really not focused that day since she really thought that he brought two cups of coffee. He intentionally told her to order two cups so that she could have one for herself. He didn’t think she still remembered about that and thought that he really had a crush. She didn’t seem like she was curious about who his crush was, but if she asked him to tell her, he would say that it was the girl in front of him right now.  
  


The reality that hit him hard was the fact that she was asking for some advice related to her crush, which perhaps related about that crush coming today, what they had been talking about almost half an hour outside the hall, what they had been talking over near the exit door before that crush bid a goodbye. It must be related, if not, she wouldn’t ask him such a thing. Wonwoo should give advice, right? It would be weird if he didn’t. But it hurt like hell.  
  


He bitterly said. “What do you want to ask?”  
  


She looked relieved that he finally reacted to her question. “About him, I mean, about Mingyu.” Seriously Wonwoo really hated that name now. “He asked me for going on a date with him.”  
  


Wonwoo felt like someone slapped him hard on his face. “W-what…?”  
  


_What did just I hear?_   
  


_A date?_   
  


She ignored the fact that Wonwoo turned pale and she said,” I haven’t properly told you about him, sunbaenim, but yes, I have confessed to him, but what I want is to forget him since I know him and me would never be together. I confessed just to make the burden disappear, you must know that feeling, right, sunbaenim? I already gave up my feelings for him in the first place.  
  


“He knew about the reason why I confessed to him, but he came today and said he wanted me to take back my words, about forgetting my feelings for him.”  
Wonwoo and she never talked about this in conversation like this, she never talked about that Mingyu guy to him before, and if it was like what Wonwoo predicted, then it must be her effort for forgetting that guy by not talking about him. Wonwoo admitted that he and she got closer to the point they could comfortably talk about anything that bothered them, but she never talked about her love life and he did the same, and Wonwoo never dared to ask, since he was focused on himself, enjoying her existence by his side.  
  


“Why did he have to come here and ask that?” she sighed heavily and looked down at her shoes. “It’s not like he likes me back or something.”  
  


Really, Wonwoo didn’t want to give any comments about this, he really had his chest hurt, even though he already knew the answer to her problem.  
  


That Mingyu guy seemed like to start liking her.  
  


Wonwoo was not blind, he saw everything, the way that guy looked at her in awe, his soft gaze towards her, the way he dragged her outside the hall, and all those silly smiles he had when she was not looking.  
  


That guy freaking liked her.  
  


And it seemed like she still didn’t get over him.  
  


If Seungcheol’s prediction was true, then she and that guy could start dating.  
  


Wonwoo was freaked out because of his own thought.  
  


She slowly looked up at Wonwoo with no energy. “What do you think I should do, sunbaenim?” she asked. “Do you think I can see him as a friend after the confession? I don’t think I can go on a date with him like a friend. I never see him that way since high school. It had been years, but today was the second time I talked to him. We’re never friends, at least that was what I think. He never knows which class I was in.” she sighed hard once again. “Pathetic, right?”  
  


It hurt him to see her like this. Wonwoo didn’t know all the stories about her high school days but surely he knew her feeling was one-sided. Just like his feeling for her right now.  
  


If she was thinking she was pathetic, and what was he? He didn’t even dare to confess his feelings to her and she was about taken away by another guy.  
“No, you’re not.” He finally managed himself to say something.  
  


She looked amazed by the words he said. Her stare somehow made him weak.  
  


He took a deep breath, assuring himself that he shouldn’t regret what he was saying right now to her. “Life is all about choices. You confessed to him, that was your choice, and it is up to you, you want to meet him again or not. But you need to realize that you're the one who is responsible for your own happiness. Make sure that whatever path you choose, you will have no regrets.” He must be crazy, he gave out some advice for his crush who was thinking about another guy. Yes, he must be crazy.  
  


About choices in life, Wonwoo said those words mostly to himself, thinking about how he met her for the first time when he fell sick at the public library. He always thought that he was so stupid and unlucky on how he didn’t even know her name and where she studied, and how he couldn’t find her again in campuses he went every time he had free time. But all that matter was that he decided to look for her, despite the chance was very small.   
  


He tried to find her, why wouldn’t he fight for her now?  
  


She blinked many times, looking very amazed. Well, Wonwoo barely talked like this to her. He felt like an old man. “You don’t say many words, but you really console me, sunbaenim.”  
  


He replied. “Perhaps that’s only words you need to hear right now.”  
  


She didn’t say anything and just stared at him in the eyes. She started to form a smile, a simple smile that Wonwoo always liked. If he could be egoist, he only wanted to have her smile only at him, like now, not to other guys, especially that Kim Mingyu guy. 

  
He couldn’t let her go for that guy, he couldn’t.  
  


“Thank you, sunbaenim.” She still had that smile on her lips.  
  


He blinked. “Huh? For what?” he didn’t understand.  
  


“For saying such words I need to hear.” She sincerely said.  
  


Wonwoo didn’t give any reaction, but his heart worked harder than usual and he felt so many butterflies in his stomach. _Darn it._  
  


“Yah, lunch is ready.” Suddenly a club member, Myungho, came and told her. “You can take yours over there.” He glanced a bit at Wonwoo, then looked at her again. “Ah, Wonwoo sunbaenim’s is also there as well.”

  
She nodded, and then looked at Wonwoo. “Wait here, sunbaenim, I will take your lunch.” After saying that, she turned around and went with Myungho to take the lunch boxes.

   
Wonwoo let out a very long sigh.  
  


Seemed like he must think fast how to tell his feelings to her.


	19. Chapter 19

“Yah, you’re not joining us for lunch?”  
  


Wonwoo just glanced at the door of the Faculty of Humanities’ library before looked at his friend again. “No.”  
  


Yoon Jeonghan looked a bit disappointed. “Seriously, Jeon Wonwoo, you barely have time for us now,” he grumbled. “Is it difficult to sit together for lunch, huh? We barely see each other since we three are in different departments.”  
  


Wonwoo raised an eyebrow. “You’re over-reacting. Our departments are the closest. You can see me around easily.” He commented. Jeonghan frowned. What’s wrong with this friend of his?  
  


“It’s not what I mean. You pick that girl over us. Who’s had been with you all this time, huh?” he asked Wonwoo, pretending to be very mad. Wonwoo rolled his eyes at him, and his friend just laughed.  
  


“Yah, you said, and Seungcheol said too, that I have to get closer to her,” Wonwoo replied simply. He took Jeonghan’s words very seriously. “I’m in the middle of working on it.”  
  


Jeonghan giggled. “Yeah, I know, but…”  
  


“This is my way to get closer to her, you know.” Wonwoo cut his words.

  
“By sticking to her like a stamp on an envelope?” Jeonghan nudged him.  
  


Wonwoo just replied as he rolled his eyes again. “Yah, it’s not like that.”  
  


“I think you two are close enough, right? It’s the time to confess, then.” Jeonghan patted Wonwoo’s shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”  
  


_Yeah, what are you waiting for, Jeon Wonwoo?_   
  


Wonwoo didn’t know if she considered this as annoying, but he had been spending so much time with her almost every day.  
  


Almost every day for almost three months.  
  


He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  
  


He just used his time to meet her at least at noon or evening at the campus. He always came to her department at lunchtime and they would have lunch together. They had dinner together mostly when her shift was over in the evening. He would always wait her shift at the library over and he would walk her home. On weekends, they spent time going to the photography club meeting and walking around the town to take photos. His days were filled most of her, and it was like he could spend the day happily because he would meet her. Oh man, he never felt so happy like this in his life.  
  


Wonwoo realized that this was his only effort to keep her close to him, and not with other guys. She never mentioned that Kim Mingyu guy again, and Wonwoo didn’t know why it made him relieved. But instead, she often mentioned her best friends from high school, someone named Soon-young who studied in different university and Junhui who studied overseas.   
  


“You should confess your feelings, Wonwoo, I know you really like her up to this time. You should let her know, even though it’s very obvious, for us, though.” Jeonghan made Wonwoo came back to reality.  
  


“Don’t you think she will know it herself, by my presence?” Wonwoo asked Jeonghan. Maybe Jeonghan would think of him as a fool, but whatever.  
  


“Eyy, she will never know if you never tell her, silly,” Jeonghan replied, slapping Wonwoo’s shoulder. “Do you ever ask her about what she’s thinking about you? I bet you never do that.”  
  


Wonwoo shook his head slowly, and Jeonghan laughed in victory. “Do I need to do that?” he asked innocently.  
  


“Somehow you need to. You can ask that if you still hesitate to confess.” Jeonghan answered. “You will know the answer, she likes you too or not, or how she likes about you.” He added. “I can say in general she likes you, but I don’t know how she likes you.”  
  


“How she likes me..?” Wonwoo repeated Jeonghan’s words. Jeonghan nodded.  
  


“She can like you as a lover, or as a friend, or as a brother, or as a senior, or… as a father.”  
  


_Wait, as a father?_   
  


“Yoon Jeonghan, you—” Wonwoo almost kicked Jeonghan’s butt. Jeonghan laughed happily and then peeked behind him.  
  


“She’s coming.” He told Wonwoo. Wonwoo turned around and saw she was walking toward them, but she was a bit troubled with bags she was bringing. “I will ask Seungcheol to go to your place tonight. We should have dinner together or something, don’t you think? We should talk about new recruitment again. ” Jeonghan reminded him about the new recruitment of the photography club. “See you, Wonwoo.” He patted Wonwoo’s shoulder and then walked away.  
  


“Isn’t that Jeonghan sunbaenim?” she asked when she arrived in front of Wonwoo, looking at the direction Jeonghan left. Wonwoo just couldn’t help but smile, he was glad to see her today. But he needed to control it, really. He maybe looked like an idiot. In one second, he changed his expression to a flat one.

  
“Yeah, it’s him,” he replied.  
  


“I barely see him around here.” She commented. “But, the closest department from here is yours, right, sunbae? Ah, Department of Physics and Astronomy is also close, but I never see Seungcheol sunbaenim around.”  
  


“Yeah, maybe it’s because too many people in his department, that’s why you can’t find him around.” Wonwoo just talked gibberish, he didn’t know if Seung-cheol’s department had too many students or not.   
  


“Hey, why don’t you ask Jeonghan sunbaenim to have lunch together with us?” she looked at him. Wonwoo didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say that he only wanted them two to have lunch, right? O-oh, right, he couldn’t say that.   
  


“O-oh, he has to leave, he needs to meet his friends.” He lied. He changed the topic as he looked down at her bags. “What are you bringing?”  
  


She smiled brightly at him. “Ta-da! I bring us lunch!” she showed off her bag she was bringing.  
  


“Seriously?” he blinked. _Seriously she brings lunch?_  
  


She just giggled. “Let’s find a bench.”

  
Soon as they found a bench, she took out some lunch boxes from her bag. Wonwoo was amazed by the food. They all looked good and delicious. She also brought drinks for them. It was all prepared. It was really like a picnic. Wonwoo couldn’t express what he was feeling right now.  
  


“My mom cooked many dishes today.” She explained when they started eating. “My dad went for a business trip to Daegu this morning and mom brought him so many dishes for my brother. You know my brother works in Daegu, and it has been a year. He’s so busy working and mom worries a lot about him.”  
  


Wonwoo enjoyed the food while looking at her. He has met her mom and dad. It happened when he walked her home one day, and at that time, her mom and dad were outside, just arrived home after visiting her brother in Daegu. She then introduced him to her parents, and it was like she had told many things about Wonwoo to them. Her parents were kind and very nice, Wonwoo was warmly greeted and he felt like he was not a stranger like they had known him before, even though that was the first time they met him. Anyway, she did tell him about her brother, but Wonwoo hasn’t met him.  
  


“I haven’t seen him. Does he look like you?” Wonwoo didn’t understand why she suddenly blinked many times and chewed so slowly as if she was startled to hear his question. That was weird.  
  


“A-ah, he doesn’t look like me. We’re really not alike.” She said and giggled. “But many people say, after seeing me and my brother, that we look alike when we smile.” She added. “But, I don’t think we really look alike.”  
  


Wonwoo slightly giggled. “Why?”  
  


“I think his eyes are bigger than mine, and his nose, too.” She replied, pointing at her own eyes and nose by her free left hand. “Ah, and he’s taller than me, he’s about 178cm, but I’m not sure.”  
  


He just nodded and noted that her height was maybe around 163cm to 165cm, and of course, it made her brother taller than her.  
  


“I think you’re taller than him, sunbae.” She commented while narrowing her eyes. “Your height is…” she tried to guess, but he answered it for her.  
  


“182cm? I don’t remember.” He replied simply.  
  


She exclaimed. “Of course you’re that tall! That makes me look so short when I’m with you.”  
  


“You think so?” he smiled. “You’re not that short.” He looked down at his food and secretly giggled to himself. She sometimes talked about things he didn’t even realize and it made her look cute in his eyes.  
  


“That’s not fair. You’re not supposed to be that tall.” she joked around. Wonwoo looked up at her and jokingly looked irritated.

  
“Yah, why not? I grew up well, didn’t I?” he replied annoyingly. She just playfully grumbled. He then gave some of his meat to her lunch box and said, “Yah, you should eat more if you want to get taller.”  
  


She then gave some of her egg rolls to his lunch box. “You too, sunbae, eat more, but don’t get taller.” They laughed together.  
  


It was very pleasant noon for Wonwoo. They talked more about photography club, about achievements received by the current members, including her, in the past months, which they participated in some photography contests then Wonwoo told her about soon new open recruitment. She looked confused to know that information, but then he explained that they had to look for new members, and that was all what Seung-cheol wanted to do. He, Wonwoo and Jeonghan would be busy for doing their final task as a student as they three were already in their fourth year, and they couldn’t be really active as club members again. She looked disappointed about this, saying that the current members still had to learn more from the seniors.  
  


“You guys can still learn from us, but the club will be now your responsibilities. We should pick a new leader and after that, you can look for new members.” Wonwoo told her as they put the empty lunch boxes to her bag.  
  


She let out a sigh. “Do the seniors need to do this? I mean, should they become inactive?” she looked at him.  
  


“Yah, we three have to focus to our final project. Seung-cheol, Jeonghan and I will start to be busy with projects stuff in our every department. And, I will go to Changwon to take data.” He replied, drinking the last liquid from his mineral water. As he finished drinking, he was a bit confused to see her. She looked slightly startled.  
  


“Isn’t that very far from here, sunbae?” she was still looking at him like she was really curious about this.  
  


“It’s about 3 hours, by train.” He rose to walk up to a trash bin to throw away the mineral bottle. “I will go with some students in my department, and we will be there for thirteen days, and I will go home too, for two days, before I go back here.” He told her again. It had been a while he didn’t go back home and it was a good opportunity that the project data would be taken in his hometown. He missed his mom, dad, and little brother, but he bet when he was already there, there was another person he would miss. He looked at her. How could he live without meeting her like this for two weeks?  
  


She nodded in understanding. “When will you go?”  
  


“Tomorrow. But I haven’t packed my stuff.” He explained.  
  


“It will be very tiring, I guess, the trip and the project related things.” She commented. Wonwoo sat again beside her.  
  


“Yeah. I have imagined all the things I will do there, and it will be sure very tiring.” He replied.  
  


She slightly smiled and said. “Fighting.”  
  


That one word made Wonwoo very energized and happy, and that smile, too. It had a big impact on him. “You too, fighting.”  
  


They smiled at each other before finally rose from the bench. Lunchtime was over and she needed to go back to the library and he would attend a class in ten minutes.  
  


“Take some photos of Changwon, okay, sunbae? I have never been there.” She shouted when Wonwoo was about to go to his department. Wonwoo just smiled at her and told her to go by waving his hands. She smiled back at him and waved her hand. He knew he would miss her very much once he was away, but he really needed to go. He hoped time flew so fast so that he would soon go back to Seoul and see her again.


	20. Chapter 20

Fifteen days without meeting her was like years. He missed her, he really did. His train arrived in Seoul station three minutes ago and all he could think was to send her a message, telling her that he was already back. Previously, he had told her about this that he would come back today, and she sent a text to him, telling him to be safe on the trip, without knowing that Wonwoo wanted to meet her today as soon as he arrived. He decided to go to her house, she must be home and he must see her today. He looked down at his phone, the clock was showing 8:12 PM. Okay, it was fine if he went there. He slid his phone to his pocket, changing his plan to text her again for the first place.   
  


During the trip to her home, he kept thinking about her, and about how he missed her. He couldn’t express it, he couldn’t express it that he missed her so much. How could he say it? Even he couldn’t put it in some lame jokes since he never did that kind of thing. It would be weird if he did that, and it would be awkward. His heart beaten faster as he realized he almost arrived at her home. He smiled to himself imagining how she would react. He was not the type who could give surprises but he really wanted to surprise her this time.   
  


He stopped in his tracks as he heard people talking in front of him. He was not the only one walking on the road, the way to her home. He saw a tall guy piggybacking a girl. Wonwoo didn’t believe his ears when he heard familiar voices.  
  


 “Don’t worry. You’re not heavy, you’re as light as a feather.”  
  


“Don’t lie to me, Kim Mingyu.”  
  


Wonwoo didn’t dare to hear what those two people talked about next. Suddenly his brain stopped working. He felt numb, he felt like he turned pale. His chest hurt.  
  


No, this was not what he meant by surprise.  
  


No, he wanted to surprise her, not him to be surprised.  
  


Even though his head hurt, Wonwoo still could hide behind a street lamp, his eyes were still on her and that Kim Mingyu guy. They arrived in front of her home and she hopped down that guy’s back. Wonwoo could see it clearly she and that guy were looking at each other and laughing. Wonwoo felt his chest hurt again, it hurt so much making him hard to breathe.   
  


What happened seriously? Did he miss many things while he was away from town? Did he really not know many things about her?  
  


How…did she end up going out with that Kim Mingyu guy? Wonwoo thought she didn’t meet him again after the exhibition three months ago.  
  


But, what was Wonwoo seeing right now?  
  


Were they going out? But when? Wonwoo never knew she didn’t tell him about this.  
  


She didn’t tell him anything.  
  


_Why?_   
  


“Nah, go home.” Wonwoo, at last, had his ears working properly again as he heard her soft voice. Behind the street lamp, he could see that Kim Mingyu guy looked like he didn’t want to go home. All he could hear later was   
  


“Can I get a gift? I’ve piggybacked you home.” that Kim Mingyu guy said.  
  


Wonwoo heard she snorted. “If I know you will do this, I won’t let you piggyback me.”  
  


“A-ah, I feel my back sore. What to do~~” Kim Mingyu whined, faking that he was hurt on his back. She rolled her eyes at him and giggled. Kim Mingyu continued. “Ah, I think a gift can heal it.” He was pointing at his lips.  
  


Wonwoo was shocked. _Is that guy going to…_  
  


“No, no gift. Just go back home,” she replied jokingly pushed him.  
  


They kept arguing for some moment before that Kim Mingyu pulled her closer by the waist slowly. It was seen their difference in their height clearly, but it didn’t stop Kim Mingyu for leaning in for a kiss. Their lips almost touched but she looked away. Kim Mingyu looked slightly disappointed.  
  


“Yah…” he said.  
  


She just giggled. “I’m joking. Sorry.”  
  


Then, they kissed. The kiss was light, but Kim Mingyu started to deepen the kiss. Kim Mingyu even cupped her face with both of his hands. Looking at the way they kissed, it seemed like they used to do it.  
  


_Used to do it…_   
  


Could anything kill Wonwoo more than this?   
  


Wonwoo was the one who missed her, he freaking wanted to hug and kiss her, but what did he get?  
  


 This was really heartbreaking.  
  


She and that guy broke the kiss and smiled at each other. She told him to go home again, but that guy just hugged her tightly. He then waved at her and left. He walked backward just to see her waving at him, but then he ran to her and hugged her again. They two looked so happy. Wonwoo really couldn’t hold this anymore.  
  


He barely caught some air and he barely felt his heart.  
  


What should he do?


	21. Chapter 21

Wonwoo didn’t like the stares his friends gave him now. They all looked concerned and confused. It had been two hours and Wonwoo still got a fever. He felt his head hurt. This was bad, he had to work on his project the next morning in his lab. He couldn’t be like this.

  
“What happened, really? This was all because of her?” Seung-Cheol looked upset and Wonwoo didn’t know why. Wonwoo flatly stared at him, and then took the thermometer in his mouth. 37 degrees. Well, he was really burning up.  
  


“But the weather was cold, and he was tired from the trip and all, his immune system couldn’t handle that,” Jeonghan commented. He gave Wonwoo small wet towel, and Wonwoo obediently put it on his own forehead. He started to lie down on his bed. He closed his eyes and sighed.  
  


“What did you see? She was really with that guy from her high school days?” Seung-Cheol blurted out. Wonwoo didn’t give any answer. He was still hurt, his head hurt, all his body hurt. The sight of her hugging and kissing with other guy made him hurt even more.  
  


“What happened in these past two weeks when I was not here?” instead, he was asking that one question in mind. Some seconds of silence came in.   
  


Jeonghan sighed, then he started to explain. “Nothing happened, Wonwoo. We still had the meeting on weekends, and extra meeting last Wednesday, she wasn’t seen with that guy. She just went with the recent members as we had picked a new leader.”  
  


“Who’s the new leader?” Wonwoo asked, his eyes were still closed.  
  


“Seo Myungho.” It was Seung-Cheol who answered.  
  


“Ah, that kid.” Wonwoo didn’t give any more reaction, he just remembered that one kid who was the first person who registered as a new member as they opened the new recruitment.  
  


“What are you feeling now? Betrayal?” Jeonghan asked him. “You’re hurt because of that, what she did with another guy?” Betrayal was not the right word, but Wonwoo was kind of disappointed. But he didn’t know why.  
  


“It was not a betrayal, you didn’t even let her know your feelings from the first place.” Seung-Cheol shot. “And you two are not dating.”  
  


Wonwoo sighed. It was not what he wanted right now, being judged by his friends, but his friends never meant bad to him, but he just slightly annoyed this time. He opened his eyes and found his two friends still looking at him. Seung-Cheol still looked annoyed, he crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Jeonghan otherwise looked worried.  
  


“Tell me,” Wonwoo started to open his mouth,” even friends tell everything to their friends, right?”  
  


“Ah, you mean, you’re her friend and why she didn’t tell you about her dating that guy?” Seung-Cheol asked.  
  


_Why did he have to make it very clear?_   
  


“Not all people tell all about their selves to other people completely, you know, there are things people can’t tell to others,” Jeonghan added. “Maybe she’s close with you, telling everything about her, but not about this one, simply because she doesn’t want to talk this with you. Well, there are many reasons you can think about.” He shrugged. 

  
“But, why... can’t she tell me?” Wonwoo slowly opened his eyes. He still didn’t get that one. He remembered she even asked his advice about this matter once, wouldn’t she tell something related to this to him back if there was something really happen?  
  


“Yah,” Jeonghan talked again,” if I can give one clear example, your own friend, this Choi Seung-Cheol,” he turned around and pointed at Seung-Cheol, who looked totally confused,”did he ever tell you that he falls in love with a noona who lives next to his flat?”  
  


“YAH, YOON JEONGHAN!” Seung-Cheol yelled. He tried to shut Jeonghan by covering Jeonghan’s mouth with his palm, but Jeonghan gracefully ran away.  
  


“Chill, Seung-Cheol, chill.” Jeonghan said,” I just want to give Wonwoo clear example.”  
  


“But not my case, though,” Seung-Cheol grumbled.  
  


Wonwoo blinked. Seung-Cheol never told him that fact. Why was everybody not going to tell him anything?  
  


“Okay, the reason is simple, why he didn’t tell you,” Jeonghan added after coughing, looking at Wonwoo again, ignoring Seung-Cheol's glare,” it’s because he wants to make it official, he wants to date that noona before he tells everyone else.” He said. “Everyone has a reason, then we still don’t know why she didn’t tell you about that.”  
  


Wonwoo was silent, thinking about some possible reasons why she didn’t tell him. Hey, they talked mostly about many things, it was like nothing she would hide from him, but why she didn’t tell him this one thing. He sighed heavily.  
  


“I don’t want to say this,” Seung-Cheol looked at Wonwoo,” but trying to keep her by your side is not working. She stays close to you, but do you even know the one who always gives her calls and texts? I bet you didn’t give attention to that thing.”  
  


Wonwoo widened his eyes. _Does it mean —_  
  


“Maybe she and that guy don’t meet regularly, but they still communicate,” Seung-Cheol answered it for him.  
  


“That’s the important thing, communication.” Jeonghan nodded.  
  


“I communicate with her every day, but why she still went out with that guy?” Wonwoo didn’t believe this.  
  


Jeonghan clapped. “That was like I’ve said to you, Jeon Wonwoo, it is related to _how_ she likes you.” He said. “If she likes you as a friend, no matter how many times you try to stick yourself to her, she will still see you that way.” Jeonghan’s words slapped Wonwoo right on his face.  
  


How did she see Wonwoo then?

  
Answering this question on his mind again, then Seungcheol said  
  


“I think she likes you as a brother.”  
  


Wonwoo blinked many times.  
  


_Brother?_   
  


“That’s probably right. You said she has a brother, right? And he’s away from town?” Jeonghan looked at Wonwoo. Wonwoo was dumbfounded by his words. No, he never thought of that. Did she…really think of him like that?  
  


“Maybe you give her that comfort, the same comfort her brother gives her, that’s why,” Seungcheol said again.  
  


Wonwoo felt frustrated. “No, I’m not giving comfort as a brother, not even—”  
  


“Yah, it’s all about what she feels, and probably that’s what she feels about you.” Jeonghan reminded him.  
  


Wonwoo wouldn’t stop asking this question, did she really think of him that way? After all the days they spent together, all the smiles and laughter, he thought she would have the same feeling towards him, he thought it was fine to stay close to her, he thought he would have her heart by staying closer to her. But what he got here? Was it really not good if he didn’t confess his feelings to her? He would face a thing like this if he confessed to her?   
  


Would it be any different?  
  


Would everything change?  
  


 “Yah, go to sleep. You need to rest.” Seungcheol told Wonwoo. “Just don’t think about what you saw today, don’t think about her, just rest. Okay?” Wonwoo didn’t give any reaction to this and Seungcheol somehow used to it so he didn’t complain.  
  


Jeonghan nodded. “You can’t get sick, Wonwoo, you have to do your final project. Remember that.”  
  


“Same goes for us, too, anyway,” Seungcheol said. After saying that, they turned off the light and exited the room, leaving Wonwoo with his own thought which wouldn’t let him sleep well tonight. Well, he never got good sleep afterward. 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kim Mingyu's POV

Mingyu just went back to his room after he washed his face. He hummed a song and hopped to his bed and grabbed his phone on the pillow. He looked at the lock-screen and smiled to himself. Yes, he was seeing a photo of him and his girlfriend. He swiped the screen only to find another photo of his girlfriend, smiling simply at the camera. Oh, looking at her photo like this made him missing her, even though they just met about one hour ago. He immediately dialed her number. This was what he always did every day, though, they used to hear each other’s voice before going to sleep.

  
“Already home?” she said after picked up the call. Mingyu smiled to himself like an idiot. He was thankful she didn’t see him right now.  
  


“Yeah.” He answered. “I’ve washed my face and I’m ready to sleep.”  
  


“Good boy.” She giggled on the other line. Well, he could live happily because of that giggle.  
  


“Darling, you’re not sleepy yet?” he asked her. He piled up some pillows with his left hand to make himself comfortable. He almost dropped his phone but at least he still kept it close to his ear while she was still talking on the other line.  
  


“….you know I barely feel sleepy if I’m too tired.” That was what he heard after struggling with his pillows.  
  


“Ah, are you really? You said you’re not.” He replied. The scene of him piggybacking her appeared, actually he knew she was a bit tired today, that was why he told her that he wanted to piggyback her. The scene of them kissing also appeared. Oh, he just wanted to kiss her. He didn’t meet her for a few days and he missed her so much. He was happy to meet her again today, despite some busy hours of studying and working part-time.   
  


“I don’t know. I did so many things today, that’s why, not really tired, but many thoughts keep me up at this hour. I’m afraid I can’t sleep.”  
  


“What are you thinking about?” he started to ask. Yeah, this girlfriend of his used to think about many things, even the things he didn’t even notice and things that shouldn’t be worried about. No wonder she always had dreams related to those things she was thinking earlier. Mingyu then realized that was how he kept appearing in her dreams. She was always thinking of him. That thought made him smile widely again. “You didn’t say anything when we were at the restaurant. Did Seungkwan and Seokmin annoy you?”  
  


She laughed, even her laughter sounded very pleasant to his ears. “No, it was not about them, Ming-goo.” And, oh, he really liked it if she called him like that. “They were funny, and I didn’t think they annoyed me. Everything with them was fine.” She explained.   
  


He sighed in relief. He thought something just bothered her because of his two best friends. It was Seokmin’s idea to have dinner together tonight. They barely met anyways, so Mingyu just agreed to meet them in Seungkwan’s favorite restaurant. But the thing that he didn’t expect that was that the two asked Mingyu to bring his girlfriend along. He refused it at first, but Seokmin said something that was true  
  


“Why can’t we meet her? She’s our high school friend anyways.”  
  


He was right, that was why Mingyu then contacted her and told her about this. She didn’t mind, she said she had not seen the two yet after her absence in school annual reunion (that absence was because she tried to avoid meeting him, though). She wasn’t close to them, and so they were, but Mingyu was glad they could get along. She didn’t talk very much in front of them, but she always reacted and answered every question given or things discussed. And she always laughed every time the duo joked around.  
  


“Then, what are you thinking about now?” Mingyu asked her again.  
  


“Uh, about my photography club.”  
  


“What happened?”  
  


“I’ve told you, right, that we’ve picked a new leader and we should look for new members.”  
  


“Okay, you’ve told me that.”  
  


“I’m just worried, I can’t do the same as our seniors.”  
  


“Where are the seniors? They leave the club?”  
  


“No, it’s not that they leave, but they become inactive. It’s our turn to take care of the club.”  
  


“Even that Jeon Wonwoo sunbaenim becomes inactive, too?” he heard so many names in the club from her, but he only remembered that sunbaenim since he was the only who was introduced by her. Anyway, that guy captured a moment Mingyu would never forget, that was why. And also, he was the one who always mentioned by her every single time she talked about her club.   
  


He heard her sighing. “Yeah, it includes him, too. You know, he left Seoul for two weeks for his final project. Seems like every senior is busy, they have to focus on their final project.”  
  


Mingyu raised an eyebrow. This was kind of surprising. He thought that sunbaenim would stay in the club for a long time. That sunbaenim who gave Mingyu cold stare, they just met once, but Mingyu thought he still would get the same stare if they met again. Every time Mingyu asked about this to her, she always said that that senior was just like that, he always gave cold stares, but actually, he had a warm heart. Mingyu still didn’t understand how the relationship between her and her senior going, but he just knew that the senior was the closest friend she had in the photography club. Anyway, he didn’t know why that sunbaenim looked like he hated him, but he could hate him too if his prediction was true.  
  


“Ah, that’s why you went home alone these days,” Mingyu commented.  
  


“Right,” she replied simply.  
  


“I envy him, he could walk you home.” he barely could send her home since he was also busy with classes and the part-time job, and her university was far from his. After they were dating, he always wanted to do that, walking her home every day, but she said he didn’t need to push himself to do that. She knew he didn’t have much time, he was busy with his part-time jobs after his classes were over. Dating really meant you needed a lot of time given to your date, and you would feel sad when you couldn’t give your time for them, even though they were okay with it. She never complained, she said they would still have a date on the weekend, so she didn’t mind.  
  


“That’s because our classes and my shift always end at the same time,” she replied this without even notice jealousy in Mingyu’s words. “And, our departments are close to each other. It’s easy to meet him.”  
  


“Yah, you can’t say those words about meeting other guys to your boyfriend, it feels like you’re ready to cheat.” He grumbled.  
  


She finally noticed the jealousy in his words. She giggled. “Oh my God, Ming-goo, you’re jealous?”  
  


He sighed. He didn’t need to hide it though, anyway, he never hid anything from her. “Yes, I’m jealous, I’m really jealous. My girlfriend spends more time with another guy.”  
  


She still giggled. “Nah, you can move to my campus if you’re that jealous, and move to Dept. of Biological Science.”  
  


He grumbled some words which she didn’t pay attention to since she was busy giggling. “Yah, don’t laugh, this is not funny.”  
  


She slowly stopped giggling. “Yah, Wonwoo sunbaenim always sends me home because he thinks of me as his sister.” Aish, Mingyu didn’t like the way she mentioned that guy’s name.  
  


“How can you conclude that? Did he say that to you?” Mingyu never thought that guy saw her as just a sister. He never thought of it, not even once. It was all seen from the day they met for the first time. Mingyu could feel it, really, even though at that time he was busy looking at her.   
  


“Nope, but I can see it. He cares and worries a lot about me, like my older brother.” She replied.  
  


Really, she was never aware of that, wasn’t she?   
  


Mingyu realized that she was not aware of that kind of things. Those stares of that guy explained everything. And she didn’t even know? Mingyu could see it also from photos they took of each other. She and that sunbaenim always took photos of each other when they had no object to capture. She saved some of that sunbaenim’s photos in her phone, saying that those were her best photos so far. That made Mingyu jealous, really. He didn’t like that idea. It would be better if he became her every photo’s model, he didn’t mind.  
  


Anyway, probably that sunbaenim also saved some of her photos on his phone, right?  
  


That thought, aish, Mingyu really hated that. He tried to keep it to himself, but he found himself saying something that made him sound even jealous.  
  


“Maybe he never sees you as a sister, I’m just saying.” Well, that was the truth, based on what he had seen.  
  


“Heol, you’re still jealous?” she asked, laughing afterward.  
  


“No, I’m not.” He lied.  
  


“Aigoo,” she laughed. “Don’t be. I’ve said to you he’s like my brother.”  
  


There was one thing Mingyu was always curious about. “Does that sunbaenim know about us?”  
  


And the answer to that question was,” he doesn’t know, I guess.”  
  


Mingyu blinked many times. “Seriously?” he thought that sunbaenim already knew, since he was close with her, she would always tell anything to him, right? Mingyu then understood the reason why that guy didn’t know.  
  


She said while yawning. “I was about to tell him, it was minutes after our club meeting ended when we were about to go to have dinner, but he was called by our leader. I ended up telling nothing.”  
  


“When was that? When were you were about to tell him?” he was curious.  
  


“A day after we’re dating. After that, I always forget to tell him. I was too excited to talk about photography if I meet him, and other things related to our club and campus,” she said. “I will tell him later, he has to know. He’s the one who reminded me about choices in life.”  
  


“Choices? What choices?” he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  
  


“I decided to meet you again after confessing, that was my choice, at last, yes.” She explained it to him. “I could have decided not to meet you again, Kim Ming-goo.”   
  


He widened his eyes, felt slapped by her words. What if she decided not to meet him again, not going on dates again with him, they would be never dating like now. “You’ve made the best decision, darling, trust me!!”  
  


She just laughed at his words. “Yah, it’s already late, you have to sleep.”  
  


Mingyu nodded after looking at his wall clock. “Ah, right.”  
  


“Sleep well, Ming-goo.”  
  


“You too, darling. Have a good dream~ Ah, dream about me,” he replied.  
  


“Eyy, I always have dreams about you, don’t tell me that.” She joked around.  
  


He giggled. “I forget about that, sorry.” He said. “I love you~~!!”  
  


“I love you, too. I’ll hang up~”  
  


She hung up the phone. Mingyu smiled widely, fixing his pillow and lying more comfortably. He was sure he would have a very good dream tonight. 


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Main Character's POV

That was not even a good dream.

  
She sighed heavily. She didn’t understand why she had that kind of dream but it was successfully made her wake up with a bad mood, even until she was in class this morning. She couldn’t concentrate well, kept thinking about that dream. It took her one hour after she ended up her call with Mingyu to sleep. She kept thinking about some things happened during the day, and finally, she was able to sleep.  
  


And that dream appeared.  
  


She saw Mingyu going far away, and there were many people around them, which made her couldn’t hold Mingyu’s hand. Mingyu tried to reach her hand as well, but there were too many people around them, it was like an ocean, and they were separated just like that.  
  


That kind of a dream made her worried, really.  
  


Most of the dreams did not mean anything, they did not come true, but somehow she always thought that her dreams lead her to something. Like how she finally told her feelings to Mingyu after she always saw him in her dreams.  
  


What would this dream lead her to?  
  


She didn’t see her way and she ended up bumping into someone. The person she bumped into brought so many books, and that books fell all over the floor. She cursed herself before bending down collecting the books and apologizing many times to that person. She should have been very careful, she thought she had already stopped daydreaming and bumping into people. She had a lot in her minds, though.  
  


“Yah, you…” she heard that person saying something. She looked up at the person and she was shocked to know it was her own senior, Yoon Jeonghan.  
  


She bowed many times again,”Sunbaenim! I’m really sorry!”  
  


Jeonghan just smiled at her. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” He collected his books.  
  


“Let me help you bringing these books. Where are you heading?” that was the only thing she could offer since she felt very sorry to the senior.  
  


“My faculty’s library,” Jeonghan replied. “But it’s okay, really, I can bring them myself.” He stood up with books on his hands.  
  


“No, sunbaenim, I should help. I’ve troubled you.” She insisted, standing up as well, with few books on her hands. Jeonghan stared at her for some seconds and then smiled, looked like a bitter smile. She didn’t get it but she couldn’t ask about it, she wasn’t sure about it herself.  
  


“Yah, aren’t you going to Dept. Biological Science’s cafeteria? Myungho will meet us the seniors there.” Jeonghan said to her.  
  


She blinked. “Yeah, I am about to go there, sunbaenim. What about you?”  
  


“Yeah, me too, but I’m going to bring these books back to the library first.” He replied.  
  


They ended up going to the cafeteria together after bringing the books to the Faculty of Natural Science’s library. Anyway, Myungho had mentioned this in their last meeting that he wanted to meet the seniors asking about the new recruitments. Yes, they needed some guidance from the seniors about this, before they opened the new recruitment. It looked like many people interested in joining them after the exhibition. The club was now their responsibility, and sometimes she thought it was hard since they didn’t know many things. But Myungho assured the members that they would learn and do everything together so no need to worry. It was really a good job to pick Myungho as the new leader. Well, she should stop worrying way too much.  
  


Myungho sent her a text this morning saying that they would meet the seniors at lunchtime. And for the place, Myungho said it was decided by their previous leader Seung-Cheol. She didn’t know why he picked the place in Dept. Biological Sciences’ cafeteria. The last time she came there when she had lunch with Jeon Wonwoo a week ago.  
  


Ah, Jeon Wonwoo didn’t send her text again last night. The last text from him was about him leaving Changwon to Seoul. She wondered if he arrived safely.  
  


“Where’s everybody?” she snapped back to reality as she heard Jeonghan murmuring something. She looked around the cafeteria and looked for Myungho and other members. She then saw Myungho waving at her.  
  


“Sunbaenim, I see them.” She told Jeonghan, pointing at one table near the corner.  
  


Jeonghan looked the same direction as her and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go.”  
  


Everyone was already there when she arrived and took a seat beside Myungho. Jeonghan took a seat next to Seung-Cheol and next to Seung-Cheol, there was…  
  


Hey.  
  


Where was Jeon Wonwoo?  
  


He was not here. The seat was empty.  
  


Where was he? Didn’t he join this meeting too?  
  


“Sunbaenim,” she quickly called. Both Jeonghan and Seung-Cheol looked at her. “Where’s Wonwoo sunbaenim?”  
  


Seung-Cheol replied after some seconds. “He’s busy in his lab, can’t join us today.”  
  


“Ah, I understand.” She just nodded, slightly disappointed. She thought she could meet Jeon Wonwoo here. She wanted to directly ask him about his project and Changwon. But it seemed like he was busy even after he came back here. No wonder he didn’t send her any text after arriving last night.  
  


The meeting started with many questions from Myungho and other members. They have been listing questions before meeting the seniors today, so it was easier for them. She wrote down some things they needed to do on her notebook, she tried to concentrate even though she felt a bit empty since Jeon Wonwoo was not around. She then assured herself that she would meet him later this evening.   
  


“The fliers, you can distribute to libraries, too, if the staff allows you to,” Seung-Cheol said to the members. “We put some fliers on the receptionist’s desk.”  
  


“Yeah, some of the staff of some libraries allowed us to,” Jeonghan replied. “I forgot how many libraries we distributed the fliers.” He looked at Seung-Cheol, trying to remember.  
  


“I didn’t remember it, too,” Seung-Cheol added,” Wonwoo was the one who put the fliers, he put them almost in all library around our faculty.”  
  


Jeonghan nodded. “Yes, you’re right, like Faculty of Social Sciences, Education, Human Ecology…”  
  


Seung-cheol added. “Faculty of Humanities…”  
  


She widened her eyes. This just reminded her of some memories, she did join the club after seeing the fliers in her faculty’s library where she worked as a part-timer, but did Jeon Wonwoo come there and distribute the fliers? She didn’t remember meeting him. So, many people came to the library, and she barely remembered people’s faces. Jeon Wonwoo never told her about this when they were talking about the club. She smiled to herself. It was so funny if they had met before but none of them realized about this.  
  


The meeting was over and she came back to her department. She had one more class to attend and she had a shift in the library and it would end in the evening. Like always, she would wait for Jeon Wonwoo after that. She would wait in the library, and he would come like always and after that, they would have some meals. Anyway, what she didn’t predict today that after her shift ended, she didn’t have Jeon Wonwoo coming to the library. She looked down at her watch. It had been an hour.  
  


Where was he?  
  


Was he very busy today?  
  


Well, they didn’t plan to meet today, as she or he didn’t text each other, but they always had dinner and go home together on Thursday night.  
  


She sighed. Should she go to his department? He was probably in his lab. Okay, she could do that. The weather was very cold and she started to freeze. And she was hungry, too. She hoped Jeon Wonwoo agreed to have dinner quickly since she couldn’t handle her stomach growling. His department looked empty but there were some people there. She remembered clearly where his lab was, he had shown it to her. As she arrived in the hallway, she noticed a familiar figure in a white coat.  
  


 “Sunbaenim!” she called him out.  
  


Jeon Wonwoo turned his head and stared at her. She waved her hand and ran to him. She smiled so brightly, well, she just met again after two weeks. How could she put it? Did she miss him? That was the right word, she did miss him. It was nice to see him again. Jeon Wonwoo just stared at her, he didn’t say anything. She blinked in confusion why he was just silent like this.  
  


“Sunbaenim, a-are you really busy today?” she started to ask. “You don’t come to the library.”  
  


His stare was different today. The stare was not cold, but it reflected how surprised he was to find her here. It also looked like he was so tired, it was all seen from his face. He looked slightly pale.  
  


At last, he shook his head. “Yeah, I’m busy, I’m starting to work on my project.” That was all he said. She nodded in understanding.  
  


“Ah, I’ve already thought you were so busy. You didn’t come to the meeting this afternoon, too.” She said. It was maybe just her thought, but why did he look at her in a different way? He was like looking for something, he kept looking into her eyes.   
  


He started to open his mouth and said something. “You waited for me?”  
  


“Huh?” she blinked.  
  


“You waited for me, in the library?” he asked again.  
  


She nodded. “Yeah. I thought you will come, like always.” She giggling. She caught different sparkle from his eyes again. Hey, why was that?  
  


“Don’t wait for me.”  
  


She blinked many times. Did she mishear his words?  
  


“W-what?”  
  


He was still looking into her eyes, sighing. “Don’t wait for me again.”  
  


She felt like a clap of thunder struck in the night sky. She felt her heart stopped for a moment. She couldn’t recognize this feeling, but it was similar when her brother said he would leave the town.   
  


She felt like she would be left alone.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeon Wonwoo's POV

Wonwoo didn’t know what he was looking for.

  
He kept looking into her eyes until he could see his reflection.  
  


He wanted to know whether she just really saw him as a brother, not as a man.  
  


He saw his reflection, but her expression told him everything.  
  


The way she looked at him now, with her eyes slightly teary, and that shock expression plastered on her face when he said she shouldn’t wait for him again, that expression was the same when he told his little brother, Bohyuk, not to wait for him after school when they were in elementary school. That slightly shocked and disappointed face, he clearly remembered it.  
  


Did she…really think of him as a brother?  
  


Did she really…?  
  


_O-oh, darn it._   
  


He sighed, changing his expression into a soft one. He didn’t want her disappointed.  
  


“You know,” he tried to explain, “I’m busy in the lab.” He pointed the lab with his thumb. “I’m working on the project all day long, I expect to finish it as soon as possible, so I think I will come home late, and you shouldn’t wait for me. What if I finish my work very late, that’s why you don’t need to wait for me again. You can go home first.”  
  


 _What a lame excuse_ , he cursed himself. Well, his project was also one of the reasons he couldn’t walk her home again. He could take the project easy and slowly, but no, he changed his mind. He had thought of many things last night, with all the fever he had. He hurt because of what he had seen, but he wanted to decrease the pain by immersing in his project and stop seeing her regularly.  
  


But, of course, he couldn’t do that in just a matter of seconds, right?  
  


He couldn’t suddenly stop seeing her, it would be weird. And the worse thing was that he couldn’t explain everything to her, why he was like this. If he had to explain it, he should explain it all, he should tell her about all his feelings, while he thought it was not a good idea. She was dating another guy now, and it was useless if he confessed right now, useless to the point it couldn’t make any change, that he still wanted her to be his, and he couldn’t. It was frustrating. He felt so stupid to only keep his feelings, delaying to confess to her. What he got now was only regrets, and it was suffocating. He felt like he was dying.  
  


He couldn’t stop staring at her. The weather was really cold tonight, and the girl in front of him was freezing. He wondered if she felt warm with the scarf she was wearing. He knew he shouldn’t make her waiting for him like this. He wanted to embrace her tightly, he missed her, but he couldn’t do that. The sight of her hugging with another guy made him hurt.  
  


This jealousy was killing him.  
  


Her expression changed too after his explanation. The shock expression was gone, replaced by a smiley face. She looked down and smiled to herself.  
  


“Ah, I got it,” she said. She then looked up and slightly smiled at him. That simple smile always made him weak. He needed to get a hold of himself.  
  


 “Sorry, I didn’t send you text earlier.” He apologized sincerely, he didn’t expect her to wait for him. He thought she would not wait, he thought she wouldn’t do that, she would leave with her boyfriend. He had thought of all possibilities, but why was she here?  
  


“That’s nothing.” She giggled. “I know you’re busy, but why I’m still waiting.” Her words made his chest hurt.   
  


He didn’t walk her home anymore for two weeks, didn’t she already get used to it?   
  


Why was she still waiting for him?  
  


Why?  
  


He smiled bitterly. “You don’t need to wait for me again, alright? You can go home without me.”  
  


She pouted. “Do you need to stay here until late? Please don’t overwork yourself.”  
  


“No, I won’t,” he replied. Those simple words from her gave him energy, he felt like he didn’t need to do anything. He just needed her with him. Could he still want her to be by his side even though someone else already had her heart?  
  


“Ah, have you eaten yet?” she asked him suddenly.  
  


He blinked. “I-I haven’t,” he replied. “I have no time to eat.”  
  


She was dumbfounded. “How could you make your body work if you have no energy?” she shook her head. “Come on, we have to eat.”  
  


_We?_   
  


Wonwoo widened his eyes, surprised. What was she saying?  
  


No, he’s supposed to avoid meeting her, but why she asked him for having dinner together?  
  


He didn’t expect this, he thought it would be easy to avoid her.  
  


No, it was never easy.  
  


“You should eat much food, sunbae, you need that, really,” Her words filled his ears. “It’s okay to leave the work for a while for having dinner. You can work better after you have eaten.”  
  


 “R-right now?” he asked like a fool. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t reject it as well. And he didn’t eat anything since the morning after he took his medicine.  
  


She grinned. “Of course, it’s dinner time already, isn’t it?”  
  


He blinked many times. “B-but…”  
  


She pushed his back, laughing, “change into your usual coat. You can’t wear that outside the lab, right?” she giggled again, pointing at his white lab coat.  
  


He couldn’t think properly but obediently coming back to the lab and changed into his coat. He then faced her again. She was all smiling at him, and he got so many butterflies in his stomach. He missed that face, he missed her. Darn it. He wasn’t supposed to keep these feelings to this girl who already had a boyfriend. But he couldn’t stop this feeling. What should he do?  
  


“Come on, sunbae,” she said, walking closer to him, and pulling the tip of his sleeve, “it’s really cold and I’m hungry. Come on~!”  
  


How could he say no to her?  
  


He then let her dragging him to their favorite restaurant like he never told her that she shouldn’t wait for him anymore.  
  


His first attempt to avoid her was a total failure.


End file.
